HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Hiring of House Facilities

Kevin Brennan: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, what plans the Commission has to raise increased revenue through the hire of House facilities to corporate clients.

John Thurso: The House of Commons Commission agreed in July 2012 that proposals should be developed to extend banqueting and events facilities for hire by appropriate third parties when the House is not sitting without the need for sponsorship and attendance by a Member of Parliament, and that such commercial hire of House of Commons facilities should be conducted as a two-year trial under the guidance of the Administration Committee. Bookings will be accepted from October 2013 with the first events from December 2013.

Curtis Green and Derby Gate

Therese Coffey: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, whether he plans to gather feedback on the operation of the Curtis Green and Derby Gate entrances and exits.

John Thurso: Following discussions with Members, the Serjeant at Arms established a review of the vehicle entrance and exit arrangements for Curtis Green and Derby Gate in June 2013. The review involved consultations with a number of Members and staff, and the Metropolitan Police, and it has already made several recommendations to improve access.
	Further consultations will be undertaken, including with the hon. Member for Suffolk Coastal. It is anticipated that a trial to improve Members' access to the Norman Shaw Buildings will start in the autumn.

Procurement of Eggs

Thomas Docherty: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, what recent discussions he has had with the British Egg Council on the procurement of indigenous eggs for all catering purposes in the House of Commons.

John Thurso: None. However I understand that following representations from the hon. Gentleman and other members of the Administration Committee the Clerk of the House directed that from the return of the House fresh British eggs from vaccinated flocks be used to prepare omelettes and scrambled eggs in ‘to order' outlets. For large-scale production of egg-based dishes, liquid pasteurised egg is used in line with industry best practice; this pasteurised egg will now be sourced from British producers.

PRIME MINISTER

Cosmetics

Michael Dugher: To ask the Prime Minister how much 10 Downing Street spent on (a) cosmetics and (b) make-up artists for media appearances (i) since May 2010 and (ii) in 2012-13.

David Cameron: No money has been spent.

Film

Michael Dugher: To ask the Prime Minister how many films 10 Downing Street has produced in (a) video, (b) DVD and (c) other digital formats in the last 24 months; and what the title was of each film.

David Cameron: The majority of films created by 10 Downing Street from the past 24 months are available on the No. 10 YouTube page. These can be viewed by title and date online at:
	www.youtube.com/number10gov
	Films not available on the No. 10 YouTube page include messages from me for: The Police Awards, Free Schools Conference, International Nurses Day 2012, Paralympics Team GB, World Hunger Message, and the National Business Awards.

Ministerial Policy Advisers

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Prime Minister with reference to his answers of 15 December 2011, Official Report, column 875W, on Ministerial Policy Advisers, and 6 September 2012, Official Report, column 454W, on Ministerial Policy Advisers, when he last published a list of special advisers in post; whether the commitment to publish such a list on a quarterly basis has been adhered to; and when he will next publish an up-to-date list of special advisers in post and their number and costs.

David Cameron: A list of special advisers will be published shortly.

Political Office

Michael Dugher: To ask the Prime Minister how much was contributed from the public purse towards the cost of those Downing Street Political Office staff which are part-funded by the Conservative Party in the most recent year for which figures are available.

David Cameron: Downing Street political office staff are not paid for by the taxpayer.

Press Conferences

Michael Dugher: To ask the Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to hold monthly press conferences in 10 Downing Street.

David Cameron: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 10 December 2012, Official Report, column 17W.

DEFENCE

Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which companies financed the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme in each of the last five years; and how much was contributed by each.

Andrew Murrison: It is understood that the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme (AFPS) has received financial support from BAE Systems, Rolls Royce, Agusta Westland and Capgemini but information on the sums provided is not held by the Ministry of Defence. The future generation of commercial sponsorship will be a matter for the AFPS Board of Trustees.

Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many parliamentarians have taken part in the Armed Forces Parliamentary Scheme in each of the last five years.

Andrew Murrison: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 10 September 2013, Official Report, columns 667-68W, to the hon. Member for Mansfield (Sir Alan Meale).

Armed Forces: Cadets

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many new entry officer cadets there were at (a) Dartmouth, (b) Royal Military Support Sandhurst and (c) Cranwell in (i) 2011 and (ii) 2012.

Andrew Murrison: The officer training establishments continue to provide our armed forces with junior officers of extremely high quality, enabling the services to look forward with confidence. The figures requested are set out in the following table:
	
		
			  Financial year 
			  2011-12 2012-13 
			 Britannia Royal Naval College Dartmouth 288 279 
			 Royal Military Academy Sandhurst 682 593 
			 RAF College Cranwell 174 199

Armed Forces: Pay

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether flying pay is paid (a) at the same rate and (b) to the same criteria across the armed forces.

Andrew Murrison: There are a number of different rates of Recruitment and Retention Payment (RRP) (Flying) which are paid dependent on rank, seniority and specialisation. The criteria applied have been adapted to meet the specific needs of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, Army and the Royal Air Force and therefore vary across the three services and within certain cadres of service personnel. The rates of RRP (Flying) are recommended annually by the independent Armed Forces' Pay Review Body (AFPRB) and the current levels can be found at pages 69-70 of the 2013 AFPRB Report, copies of which are available in the Vote Office and at the following link:
	http://www.ome.uk.com/afprb_reports.aspx

Armoured Fighting Vehicles

Russell Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many combat vehicles which were (a) purchased and (b) hired by his Department since 2010 were manufactured in (i) the UK, (ii) another EU member state and (iii) a non-EU country; and how much his Department spent on each such vehicle.

Philip Dunne: holding answer 9 September 2013
	115 Warthog vehicles including front and rear cab have been purchased by the Ministry of Defence (MOD). The base vehicles were manufactured in Singapore by Singapore Technologies Kinetics and UK specific equipment was fitted to the vehicles by Thales in Wales. The approved cost of the procurement programme was approximately £180 million.
	While not defined as combat vehicles, the MOD has purchased protected vehicles such as 376 Foxhound and 60 Terrier since the beginning of 2010. Both of these vehicles were designed and manufactured in the UK. The Foxhound has an approved cost of £510 million and 330 vehicles were delivered before 6 September 2013. The Terrier project has an approved cost of £365 million and 24 vehicles have been delivered to date.
	No combat vehicles have been hired since 2010.

Defence: Procurement

Alison Seabeck: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the companies which tendered for the GoCo will be the subject of scrutiny and consideration by the Government's cross-departmental review.

Philip Dunne: holding answer 10 September 2013
	The cross-departmental review is assessing GoCo competition. Each of the bidders involved has already been through a pre-qualification process. As we progress towards a decision between a GoCo and a public sector solution we will continue to scrutinise closely both individual consortia members and the market more widely.

Prosecutions

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many successful prosecutions have been brought under the Protection of Military Remains Act 1986 in each of the last five years.

Mark Francois: I will write to my hon. Friend with the information requested.

RAF Akrotiri

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has invested in RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus in each year since 2010.

Andrew Robathan: Total investment expenditure in RAF Akrotiri is not recorded separately but the estimated expenditure on infrastructure projects at RAF Akrotiri in each full financial year since 2010 is set out in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial year Total expenditure (€) 
			 2010-11 28,400,000 
			 2011-12 24,581,000 
			 2012-13 11,702,000 
			 Note: All figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand euros.

RAF Akrotiri

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department has spent on medical services at RAF Akrotiri, Cyprus in each year since 2010.

Andrew Robathan: Costs for medical services at RAF Akrotiri are spread across several areas and it is not possible to identify all elements separately.
	Available details of spending on primary medical services and infrastructure associated with the provision of medical services at RAF Akrotiri in each full financial year since 2010 are shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial year Total infrastructure costs (€) Running costs (€) Medication costs (£) 
			 2010-11 1,784,000 2,235,900 246,800 
			 2011-12 661,600 1,862,000 226,700 
			 2012-13 886,600 2,511,900 180,500 
		
	
	Running and infrastructure costs are shown in euros and medication costs are shown in pound sterling. It is not possible to convert these costs to one currency as exchange rates will have varied over each financial year. Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred.
	Infrastructure costs include estimated costs for hard and soft facilities management and project costs. Running costs include military and civilian staff costs, the costs of retained services, such as chiropody, ophthalmic and paediatric services, professional training costs for civilian staff, individual protective equipment, travel costs, stationery costs and vehicle hire costs.
	It has not been possible to identify spending on secondary medical services for RAF Akrotiri separately as this is provided for all stations in the sovereign base areas as a whole.

Reserve Forces: Cardiff

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 2 September 2013, Official Report, column 43W, on reserve forces: Cardiff, what budget has been allocated for HMS Cambria for each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: The budget allocation for reserve forces is not broken down at unit level but, the actual expenditure for HMS Cambria for the last five financial years was:
	
		
			 FY Total (£) 
			 2008-09 959,000 
			 2009-10 912,000 
			 2010-11 897,000 
			 2011-12 837,000 
			 2012-13 935,000 
		
	
	These figures include total manpower, IT, utilities and infrastructure.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 2 September 2013, Official Report, column 53W, on unmanned aerial vehicles, if he will publish the evaluations undertaken on the noise made by this technology; [R]
	(2)  how such noise evaluations are carried out; and if he will make a statement. [R]

Philip Dunne: Subject to consultation with the copyright holder, I will place a copy of the Watchkeeper Acoustic Trial Report in the Library of the House. No other evaluations have been undertaken.
	The methodology of the Watchkeeper Acoustic Trial is set out in the trial report.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 2 September 2013, Official Report, column 53W, on unmanned aerial vehicles, if he will place in the Library a current copy of the Reaper Agreement; and when a new such agreement is expected. [R]

Andrew Robathan: The Reaper agreement comprises a number of arrangements including a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the UK and the US and operating procedures developed for the UK Reaper Squadrons, in conjunction with the US Air Force. I will place a copy of the original MOU, which was signed in 2008 by the previous Government, in the Library of the House.
	The MOU is being reviewed with the US and will encompass operating procedures put in place since the formation of UK Reaper Force Squadrons. Although no formal timescale has been set, we currently expect agreement in late 2013.

USA

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what agreements and procedures the Government has put in place with that of the US to ensure the legality of any activity undertaken by the United States Visiting Forces based in the UK. [R]

Andrew Robathan: There are a number of long standing agreements and procedures that govern the use of UK bases by the United States Visiting Forces (USVF), and these continue to ensure that the UK Government are fully satisfied as to the propriety of the activities undertaken by the USVF.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Trident

Kevan Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the oral contribution of the Secretary of State for Defence of 2 September 2013, Official Report, column 5, on the Trident Alternatives Review and the written answer of the Chief Secretary to the Treasury of 2 July 2013, Official Report, column 6W, on Trident, if he will provide details of the cost of the Trident Alternatives Review to the public purse in terms of (a) cost and (b) officials' time.

Danny Alexander: I have been asked to reply 
	as the Minister responsible for the Trident Alternatives Review.
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 2 September 2013, Official Report, column 7W.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Absenteeism

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the rates of staff (a) absence and (b) sickness absence in her Department in each of the past five years were; and what the departmental targets were in each case.

James Brokenshire: The Home Department does not hold information relating to overall rates of staff absence as some staff absences are not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	The rate of sickness absence in the Home Department in each of the past five years is included in Table 1, together with any sick absence targets.
	
		
			 Table 1: Rates of (b) sickness absence in the Home Office as at 31 July 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 and any targets 
			 Period Rate of sickness absence (rolling year average working days lost per staff year) Staff employed in period (FTE)(1) Sick absence target(2) 
			 31 July:    
			 2009 9.16 26,137 8.00 
			 2010 8.02 30,580 8.00 
			 2011 7.83 28,512 7.50 
			 2012 7.81 26,147 7.50 
			 2013 7.49 26,112 — 
			 (1 )Information relating to staff employed during the period is included to show how the rate of sick absence compares to the number of staff working in the Department during the same period. This is in line with Cabinet Office guidelines. (2) A statement on the Department's overall sick absence rate is included in each year's Annual Report and Accounts together with any relevant targets. The target included in this response for 2009 and 2010 relate to the Home Office's corporate (headquarters) functions. For 2011 and 2012 the sick absence target relates to UKBA. During 2013-14 the Home Office will be agreeing revised targets for sick absence. Extract dates: 1 August of each year. Periods covered: Data is provided based on a rolling year, i.e. each month end figure includes one year of absences covering the period 1August to 31 July. Organisational coverage: Includes the Home Department and its executive agencies (excluding non-departmental public bodies) for the relevant period: Figures for 31 July 2009: comprise Home Office headquarters and its executive agencies (United Kingdom Border Agency (UKBA), Identity and Passport Service (IPS), and Criminal Records Bureau (CRB)). Figures for 31 July 2010: comprise Home Office headquarters and its executive agencies (United Kingdom Border Agency (UKBA), Identity and Passport Service (IPS), and Criminal Records Bureau (CRB)). From 1 April 2010, 4,639 (FTE) ex-HMRC customs and detection employees transferred to the UKBA as part of a Machinery of Government change. Figures for 31 July 2011: comprise Home Office headquarters and its executive agencies (United Kingdom Border Agency (UKBA), Identity and Passport Service (IPS), National Fraud Authority (NFA) and Criminal Records Bureau (CRB)). From 1 April 2011, 95 (FTE) Government Equalities Office employees transferred to Home Office Headquarters and 49 (FTE) National Fraud Authority (NFA) employees transferred to the Home Office, when NFA became an executive agency. Figures for 31 July 2012: comprise Home Office headquarters and its executive agencies (United Kingdom Border Agency (UKBA), Identity and Passport Service (IPS), National Fraud Authority (NFA) and Criminal Records Bureau (CRB)). Figures for 31 July 2013: on 1 April 2013 the Home Office underwent a significant re-structure; UKBA was abolished and its teams were incorporated into the rest of the Home Office. At the same time, IPS was renamed Her Majesty's Passport Office (HMPO). Figures therefore include the core Home Office (including former headquarters areas as well as the former UKBA areas) and its executive agencies (NFA and HMPO). During the year 508 (FTE) National Policing Improvement (NPIA) employees transferred to core Home Office, 468 (FTE) Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) employees transferred out of the Home Office, when CRB merged with the Independent Safeguarding Authority (ISA) to become a new NDPB—the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and 107 (FTE) Government Equalities Office employees transferred out of the Home Office, to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS). Employee coverage: Figures are based on FTE of all paid civil servants employed during the rolling year (current and leavers). Transparency agenda considerations: Figures are provided in line with Cabinet Office guidelines and conventions on sickness absence reporting. Rounding: Data is provided to two decimal places and is therefore subject to rounding. Source: Data View—the Home Office's single source of Office for National Statistics compliant monthly snapshot corporate Human Resources data.

Accountancy

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department has spent on accountants in each year since 2010.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office accounting systems do not identify spend on accountants separately within its staff costs. The information cannot be obtained without incurring disproportionate costs.

Asylum: Afghanistan

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Afghan interpreters who have worked for UK armed forces have been declined asylum in the UK; and on what basis their applications were denied.

Mark Harper: holding answer 4 September 2013
	Information about the previous occupations of asylum applicants and the reasons for refusal of their asylum claims, if that is the outcome, can be provided only by examining individual case records, which would incur disproportionate cost. All asylum claims made in the UK by those who have previously served as interpreters for the UK Government and armed forces in Afghanistan are considered on their individual merits and protection is offered to those who are found to be at real risk of serious harm in Afghanistan.

Christmas Cards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her private ministerial office spent on sending Christmas cards in 2012.

James Brokenshire: The Home Secretary's Christmas card in December 2012 was an e-card. Therefore, there were no mailing costs associated with its distribution. I shall suggest that the Home Secretary considers adding the hon. Member to this year’s list.

Harassment: Social Networking

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans his Department has to introduce a code of conduct for social media providers on preventing online stalking and harassment.

Jeremy Browne: The Government takes all forms of stalking and harassment very seriously. The Home Office is committed to working with other Government Departments, the National Policing Leads and Social Media Networks to identify effective practice and improve the response to online harassment and stalking.

Offences against Children

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  when she plans to publish the Government's response to the Second Report of the Home Affairs Committee, Session 2013-14, on Child sexual exploitation and the response to localised grooming HC 68-I;
	(2)  with reference to the Second Report of the Home Affairs Committee, Session 2013-14, on Child sexual exploitation and the response to localised grooming, HC 68-I, what plans she has to strengthen protection for children from grooming and sexual exploitation.

Damian Green: The Government's response to the Home Affairs Committee's report was published on 10"September2013. Copies have been placed in the Library of the House and can be found at the following link:
	http://www.official-documents.gov.uk/document/cm87/8705/8705.asp
	Detail of the Government's plans to strengthen protection for children from grooming and sexual exploitation are contained within the response.

Police: EU Nationals

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many EU citizens, not born in the UK, are employed as police officers in the UK.

Damian Green: The Home Office does not collect these figures for England and Wales. Figures for Scotland and Northern Ireland are a matter for the devolved Administrations.

Police: Pakistan

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the UK has taken to ensure that financial support provided to the Pakistani Anti Narcotics Police does not contribute in any way to Pakistani efforts to impose capital punishment on those arrested for drug offences.

Jeremy Browne: Her Majesty's Government takes human rights very seriously and strongly opposes the use of the death penalty in all circumstances, including for drugs offences. The Government published Overseas Security and Justice Assistance (OSJA) Guidance in 2011, which provides clear guidance to officials and law enforcement officers to help them identify human rights risks. Under OSJA guidance, where human rights risks are identified, the Government seeks to mitigate risks by a range of methods. For instance, we can seek assurances that UK co-operation will not lead to torture or prosecutions that result in the death penalty, and have a clear exit strategy if these assurances are not met. This ensures that any assistance we provide supports our values and is consistent with our international obligations, including on capital punishment.

Procurement

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of her Department's expenditure on procurement in the first quarter of 2012-13 was spent with small and medium-sized enterprises.

James Brokenshire: The proportion of the Home Department’s spend with small and medium-sized enterprises in the first quarter of 2012-13 was 12.74% (£74.1 million) of total spend (3.75% direct, 8.99% indirect).

Protection from Harassment Act 1997

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many people have been (a) arrested, (b) charged, (c) convicted and (d) jailed for offences under (i) section 2A and (ii) section 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 in Northamptonshire to date;
	(2)  how many people have been (a) arrested, (b) charged, (c) convicted and (d) jailed for offences under (i) section 2A and (ii) section 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 in Surrey to date.

Jeremy Browne: The information requested on arrests and charges are not collected centrally.
	Offences for stalking introduced by sections 2A and 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997, as inserted by section 111 of the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012, commenced on 25 November 2012.
	The Ministry of Justice advise that between 25 November 2012 and 31 December 2012 there were no convictions (and hence no immediate custodial sentences) for offences under section 2A or 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 in Northamptonshire or Surrey police force areas.
	Court proceedings data for this offence for 2013 are scheduled for publication in May 2014.

Protection from Harassment Act 1997

Sandra Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers in England and Wales have been trained on the application of sections 2A and 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.

Damian Green: Stalking is a serious crime and has a huge impact on victims. It is for chief constables in each police force to ensure that officers are effectively trained and kept up to date with the legislation. The Home Office continues to work with the police and other agencies to raise awareness and support training around the stalking offences.

Publishing

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much her Department has spent in each of the last three years on hard copy printing of documents for external audiences.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office accounting systems do not identify separate expenditure on hard copy printing of documents for external audiences. The information cannot be obtained without incurring disproportionate costs.

Satellite Broadcasting

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what subscriptions her Department has for premium satellite television channels; and what the cost of each such subscription was in the most recent year for which figures are available.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office does not pay for any premium satellite channels. Any premium channels we do have are fed from the Parliament TV Service in Millbank. The Parliament TV Service carries live and archived coverage of all UK Parliament proceedings taking place in public, including debates and committee meetings of both Houses.

Stalking

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers of each rank have received training on investigating and gathering evidence in relation to complaints of stalking.

Damian Green: Stalking is a serious crime and has a huge impact on victims. It is for chief constables in each police force to ensure that officers are effectively trained and kept up to date with the legislation. The Home Office continues to work with the police and other agencies to raise awareness and support training around the stalking offences.

Stalking

Sandra Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what her policy is on routine risk assessment for people who have experienced stalking.

Jeremy Browne: Stalking, is a horrendous crime and has a huge impact on victims. The police are responsible for carrying out risk assessments including using the Domestic Abuse, Stalking and Honour Based Violence Risk Identification, Assessment and Management Model (DASH) for victims experiencing stalking.

Stalking

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many complaints of stalking have been recorded by the police in England and Wales since 25 November 2012.

Jeremy Browne: The information requested is not available from the police recorded crime statistics collected by the Home Office. Offences of 'stalking' would be recorded under the offence classification of 'Harassment' and cannot be separately identified from other offences recorded within that classification.

Television

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many flat screen televisions have been purchased by her Department in the last 24 months; and what the cost to the public purse was of such purchases.

James Brokenshire: Information on expenditure on television purchases for the last 24 months is not held centrally and would incur disproportionate cost to obtain.

CABINET OFFICE

Charitable Donations

David Blunkett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what assessment he has made of changes in the levels of financial giving and philanthropy over the last two years.

Nick Hurd: The Government uses the Community Life Survey to track, among other things, trends in giving of money. In 2012-13 almost three quarters (74%) of people reported giving money to charity in the four weeks prior to interview; this represents a slight increase from 2010-11 when 72% donated.
	The proportion of people donating to charity had declined between 2005 and 2010-11 (from 79% to 72%), so the latest figures appear to represent a halt of this downward trend.
	Figures from HMRC suggest that there has been an increase in the amount donated that has had Gift Aid claimed on it in the past two years from £3,830 million in 2010-11 to a provisional figure of £4,130 million in 2012-13.
	I am aware that the right hon. Member is chairing an inquiry on behalf of the Charities Aid Foundation on this and I look forward to reading the final report.

Communities First Fund

Tom Watson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office pursuant to the answer of 6 September 2013, Official Report, column 538W, on Communities First Fund, if he will place in the Library a breakdown by local authority area of how much funding was allocated to the Community First programme in year (a) one and (b) two; and what proportion of that funding has been spent by local Community First panels.

Nick Hurd: Funding is allocated to Community First Neighbourhood Match Fund panels by ward. A breakdown of how much was granted by Community First panels in 2011-12 and 2012-13 by ward will be published in due course and a copy will be placed in the Library of the House.
	The Community First programme costs for these years are published in the Cabinet Office Annual Report and Accounts 2012-13 at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/225980/HC_15.pdf

Conditions of Employment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many staff (a) directly employed and (b) indirectly employed through other companies by his Department were employed on zero-hours contracts in each of the last 10 years.

Francis Maude: Unfortunately information covering each of the last 10 years is not readily available. However, I can confirm that since the last general election no staff have been directly employed on zero hour contracts in the Cabinet Office.
	In 2008-09 seven individuals and in 2009-10 six individuals were indirectly employed through other companies on zero-hours contracts. In 2010-11, 2011-12 and 2012-13 the number of such individuals has been five or fewer. In line with the practice of previous Administrations exact numbers are not usually disclosed to protect individual privacy when the numbers are five or fewer.

Prescription Drugs: Lancashire

Andrew Stephenson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many deaths from prescription drug overdoses there were in (a) Pendle constituency and (b) Lancashire in each of the last five years.

Nick Hurd: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Peter Fullerton, dated September 2013
	In the absence of the Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking the Secretary of State for Health how many deaths from prescription drug overdoses there were in (a) Pendle constituency and (b) Lancashire in each of the last five years. (168968)
	The following table provide the number of deaths where the underlying cause was related to drug poisoning for (i) Pendle parliamentary constituency and (ii) Lancashire county, for deaths registered between 2008 and 2012 (the latest year available).
	The drug-related deaths shown in Table 1 involve a broad spectrum of substances, including legal and illegal drugs, prescription drugs and over-the-counter medications. It is not possible to provide figures on the number of deaths from prescription drug overdoses as ONS do not categorise substances in this manner. In addition, some prescription drugs are widely abused (for example morphine and diazepam), and it is not possible to determine from the information provided on the coroner's death certificate whether the drug was prescribed to the individual or obtained illegally.
	The number of drug-related deaths registered in England and Wales from 1993 to 2012 are available on the ONS website. Table 6 shows the number of deaths for specific substances, including a wide range of prescription drugs:
	www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health3/deaths-related-to-drug-poisoning/index.html
	
		
			 Table 1. Number of deaths where the underlying cause was related to drug poisoning, Pendle parliamentary constituency and Lancashire county, deaths registered 2008 to 2012(1, 2, 3, 4) 
			 Deaths (persons) 
			 Area 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 
			 Pendle parliamentary constituency 4 8 11 13 5 
			 Lancashire county 89 70 75 83 73 
			 (1) Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes shown in Box 1 as follows. (2) Figures are based on boundaries as at August 2013 and exclude deaths of non-residents. (3) Deaths of persons usually resident in Blackpool and Blackburn with Darwen unitary authorities have been excluded from figures for Lancashire county. (4) Figures are based on deaths registered, rather than deaths occurring between 2008 and 2012. Due to the length of time it takes to hold an inquest, it can take months for a drug-related death to be registered. Additional information on registration delays for drug-related deaths can be found in the annual statistical bulletin: www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health3/deaths-related-to-drug-poisoning/index.html 
		
	
	
		
			 Box 1. International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes used to define deaths related to drug poisoning 
			 Description ICD 10 codes 
			 Mental and behavioural disorders due to drug use (excluding alcohol and tobacco) F11-F16, F18-F19 
			 Accidental poisoning by drugs, medicaments and biological substances X40-X44 
			 Intentional self-poisoning by drugs, medicaments and biological substances X60-X64 
			 Assault by drugs, medicaments and biological substances X85 
			 Poisoning by drugs, medicaments and biological substances, undetermined intent Y10-Y14

Private Sector: Yorkshire and the Humber

Andrew Jones: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what estimate has been made of the number of private sector jobs to be created in Yorkshire and the Humber in the next five years.

Michael Fallon: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	In their 2012 publication “Working Futures 2010-2020” the UK Commission for Employment and Skills forecast that between 2010 and 2020 the total number of predominantly private sector jobs is estimated to increase by over 100,000 in Yorkshire and the Humber:
	http://www.ukces.org.uk/assets/ukces/docs/publications/evidence-report-41-working-futures-2010-2020.pdf

WALES

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what requests he has made for Barnett consequentials for Wales arising from the High Speed 2 project.

David Jones: Any Barnett consequentials will be determined in line with the Statement of Funding Policy in the normal way.

SCOTLAND

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what requests he has made for Barnett consequentials for Scotland arising from the High Speed 2 project.

David Mundell: Responsibility for public expenditure allocation across the United Kingdom lies with the Treasury. Barnett consequentials for HS2 will be determined in line with the Statement of Funding Policy in the normal way.

Manufacturing Industries: Job Creation

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many jobs created in Scotland since 2010 are in the manufacturing sector.

David Mundell: The Office for National Statistics publishes data on total workforce jobs broken down by the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC 2007). When this coalition Government came into power in 2010 employment was at 2,602,000, with manufacturing employment making up 187,000. The records from June 2013 put employment at 2,643,000, with manufacturing increasing to 202,000. A total increase of 15,000.
	That information is available from the Office for National Statistics website, at:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/lms/labour-market-statistics/august-2013/statistical-bulletin.html

Staff

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many posts in his Department have been relocated from London to each other region in each of the last 10 years.

David Mundell: The Scotland Office has less than 60 staff with one office in London, and one in Edinburgh. Over the last 10 years the majority of staff have been based in Edinburgh.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Abortion

Mark Pritchard: To ask the Attorney-General what discussions he has had with the Crown Prosecution Service on the pre-signing of abortion forms.

Oliver Heald: The Attorney-General and I have had no specific discussions with the Crown Prosecution Service on the pre-signing of abortion forms.

Conditions of Employment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Attorney-General how many staff (a) directly employed and (b) indirectly employed through other companies by the Law Officers' Departments were employed on zero-hours contracts in each of the last 10 years.

Oliver Heald: The Law Officers' Departments have not directly employed any staff on zero hours contracts in each of the last 10 years. No records are held on whether or not companies who provided services to the Law Officers' Departments during this time have employed staff under such terms.

Protection from Harassment Act 1997

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Attorney-General what training Crown Prosecutors have received on sections 2A and 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.

Oliver Heald: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) updated its Legal Guidance on Stalking and Harassment to reflect the new stalking offences prior to commencement of the stalking offences on 25 November 2012. In addition, the CPS has developed an online e-Learning course on cyber stalking which was launched in September 2012 and includes training on the relevant offences and their identification, as well as covering other issues which may arise in the prosecution of stalking cases. The course was refreshed in June 2013, when it became mandatory learning for all prosecutors. The CPS is currently developing further training on the stalking offences, with emphasis on building a strong case, working closely with the police and engaging with victims throughout the legal process.

Serious Fraud Office

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Attorney-General how many staff are currently employed at the Serious Fraud Office.

Oliver Heald: At 31 August 2013, the Serious Fraud Office employed the full-time equivalent of 293.3 permanent staff.

CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

Conditions of Employment

Chris Ruane: To ask the hon. Member for Banbury, representing the Church Commissioners, how many workers were (a) directly employed by the Church Commissioners and (b) indirectly employed by the Church Commissioners through other companies on zero hours contracts in each of the last 10 years.

Tony Baldry: Figures for the number of people directly employed by the Church Commissioners on temporary time sheet employment contracts are given as follows. This is the same system used for any person employed through a temporary staff agency.
	
		
			 Number of staff jointly employed by the Church Commissioners and other national church institutions on ‘time sheet contracts’ 
			  Number 
			 2004 7 
			 2005 7 
			 2006 5 
			 2007 5 
			 2008 5 
			 2009 30 
			 2010 40 
			 2011 40 
			 2012 30 
			 2013 34 
		
	
	The increase in 2009 is the result of putting the casual catering staff and security staff at Lambeth Palace on the payroll.
	The Church Commissioners and other national church bodies make every effort to protect and support those who choose to be employed on this basis. This way of working is valued by those who take up these opportunities and many individuals have worked for the Church of England in this way for many years.
	Unlike many employers when dealing with staff on ‘time sheet contracts’ the Church has chosen to make special provision to protect their employment rights.
	Included in contracts for individuals are entitlements for annual leave, sick pay and sick leave, paid via the submission of timesheets. Where possible temporary staff employed on this basis are booked in advance, except when unexpected short term cover is required. Each individual has the opportunity to refuse the offer of employment if the work is not convenient and this would not prevent any consideration of subsequent offers of employment.
	I am not aware that any indirectly employed staff contracted to work with the Church Commissioners are employed on zero hour contracts.

EDUCATION

Absenteeism

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will place in the Library his Department's statistics for absenteeism in the last three financial years.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department's statistics for absenteeism in the last three financial years are set out as follows. These figures represent average working days lost.
	
		
			 Financial year Average working days lost 
			 2010-11 6.0 
			 2011-12 5.1 
			 2012-13 4.4

Academies

Kevin Brennan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish details of financial arrangements made by his Department with any former private schools that have converted to academy status since May 2010.

Edward Timpson: holding answer 5 September 2013
	Since May 2010, we have agreed financial arrangements with 13 former independent schools converting to academy status. Most of these schools received the standard project development grant of £25,000 given to mainstream schools to support them with the costs of conversion, although three received more. All grants agreed since May 2010 are significantly smaller than the level of grants paid to independent schools moving into he state sector prior to May 2010. Between 2007 and 2010, project development grants given to converting independent schools ranged from £620,000 to as high as £1.7 million.
	In some cases the Department has also agreed to fund the existing debts of predecessor schools by securing a charge against the assets such as land and buildings. Consistent with the approach under the previous Government, some projects have also been provided with a contribution towards capital funding for the creation of new places.

Children: Day Care

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  how many unscheduled inspections of childcare providers following complaints were undertaken by Ofsted in each month since August 2008;
	(2)  how many childcare providers subject to unscheduled inspections by Ofsted following complaints had their rating revised (a) down, (b) up, (c) from outstanding or good to unsatisfactory and (d) from outstanding or good to satisfactory in each month since August 2008;
	(3)  how many complaints Ofsted has received from childcare providers about the quality or result of an unscheduled inspection following a complaint in each month since August 2008; and how many of these complaints were upheld (a) by the initial investigating official, (b) following an internal review and (c) by the Independent Complaints Adjudication Service for Ofsted;
	(4)  how many revisions to the rating of childcare providers Ofsted has made following an upheld complaint by a childcare provider subject to an unscheduled inspection in each month since August 2008.

Elizabeth Truss: These questions are for Ofsted to answer. I have asked Her Majesty's Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, to write to the hon. Member. Copies of his replies will be placed in the House Library.

Children: Protection

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many serious case reviews relating to the safeguarding of children and young people there have been in each of the last five years; and what estimate he has made of the cost of such reviews in each such year.

Edward Timpson: The number of Serious Case Reviews (SCRs) commissioned by Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) and notified to the Department for Education in relation to the safeguarding of children and young people in each of the last five years is as follows:
	
		
			 As at 1 April to 31 March each year Number 
			 2008-09 132 
			 2009-10 124 
			 2010-11 73 
			 2011-12 58 
			 2012-13 74 
		
	
	The Government has established a national panel of independent experts to advise and challenge Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) to initiate and publish high-quality SCRs. This is so lessons can be learned locally and nationally to drive up the quality of child protections services and avoid mistakes being repeated. The panel will initially advise LSCBs on:
	any decision made by an LSCB not to initiate an SCR following a serious incident which meets certain agreed criteria
	any case where an LSCB has concerns about publication of an SCR report
	The costs of carrying out such reviews are not held centrally and, at present, LSCBs are not required to publish precise costs for each SCR they carry out.

Cycling

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what funding his Department provides for cycling infrastructure development.

David Laws: The Department for Education has not provided any funding for the development of cycling infrastructure.

First Aid: Curriculum

Julian Huppert: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what consideration he gave to including emergency life savings skills in the school curriculum.

Elizabeth Truss: The Government do not believe that the teaching of emergency life savings skills (ELS) should be a statutory requirement. The aim of this Government is to reduce prescription throughout the education system and, in doing so, to allow teachers and school leaders the flexibility to use their professional judgment to provide what is best in their circumstances.
	The new national curriculum that we have published will provide a rigorous basis for teaching, a benchmark for all schools to improve their performance and will give children and parents a better guarantee that every student will acquire the knowledge to succeed in the modem world.
	Teachers are free to use their professional judgment to decide whether to teach ELS and should tailor such provision according to the needs of their pupils. To support teaching, schools are free to use professional organisations and resources and we encourage organisations to develop guidance for schools in the areas of their expertise. Reputable organisations such as the British Heart Foundation and St John Ambulance already provide resources and training, which schools are free to make use of, and we encourage them to do so when teaching pupils about this topic.

GCSE: English Language

Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will review Ofqual's decision to remove the Speaking and Listening Assessment from GCSE English and GCSE English Language.

Elizabeth Truss: The assessment of speaking and listening has not been removed from GCSE English and English Language. Ofqual has stated that speaking and listening will be reported separately on the GCSE certificate alongside the GCSE grade.
	The Secretary of State for Education, my right hon. Friend the Member for Surrey Heath (Michael Gove), has no plans to review Ofqual's decision on these arrangements. Ofqual is the independent regulator of qualifications and reports directly to Parliament. It has found that current arrangements for speaking and listening do not produce fair outcomes for students.

GCSE: English Language

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what consideration he has given to the effect of Ofqual's decision to remove the speaking and listening assessment from GCSE English and GCSE English Language on (a) the amount of teaching time allocated to speaking and listening skills, (b) the development of pupils' oral communication skills and (c) the accountability of teachers to teach speaking and listening skills at Key Stage 4.

Elizabeth Truss: The assessment of speaking and listening has not been removed from GCSE English and English Language. Students' speaking and listening skills will be reported separately on the GCSE certificate alongside the GCSE grade, giving a more detailed picture of students' achievements than under the previous arrangements.
	Ofqual is the independent regulator of qualifications and it has found that current arrangements for speaking and listening do not produce fair outcomes for students.
	Ofsted will continue to hold schools to account for their teaching of English, including speaking and listening. The Department for Education will consider making available the results of the separate assessment of speaking and listening through its new Data Portal.

GCSE: English Language

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what recent discussions his Department has had with Ofqual about its decision to remove the Speaking and Listening Assessment from GCSE English and GCSE English Language.

Elizabeth Truss: The assessment of speaking and listening has not been removed from GCSE English and English Language. Ofqual has said that speaking and listening will be reported separately on the GCSE certificate alongside the GCSE grade.
	Ofqual is the independent regulator of qualifications, with a statutory responsibility to secure standards in qualifications. It must be able to do that free from political interference. It has found that current arrangements for speaking and listening do not produce fair outcomes for students. Ofqual has kept Ministers informed of its concerns and the action it intends to take.

Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education

David Ward: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what changes his Department intends to make to how sex and relationship education is taught under the PSHE curriculum.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department has considered the role of sex and relationship education (SRE) as part of its review of personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education. Experts are best placed to provide schools with up-to-date materials and advice on changing technologies that fit within the framework of our sex and relationship education guidance. This means schools can always access the most current advice and guidance on every emerging issue.
	The PSHE Association has recently updated its guidance for schools on developing and improving their SRE policies. The Sex Education Forum also has a range of useful resources to help schools improve their SRE programmes, as do other organisations which seek to raise standards in SRE education.

Property

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's property assets.

Elizabeth Truss: The Department for Education has two freehold property assets:
	Castle View House, Runcorn;
	Mowden Hall, Darlington.
	The DFE review will see the Department reduce the number of sites that it operates by half. Both the Runcorn and Darlington sites will be vacated and sold as part of the review.
	All other properties used by the DFE are leasehold and therefore not considered to be assets owned by the Department.

Public Expenditure

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish the delegated spending threshold against which spending needs to be authorised by a Minister in his Department.

Elizabeth Truss: All new policy spending proposals are submitted to Ministers for approval. However, the commitment of expenditure is delegated from HM Treasury to the Permanent Secretary, as Principal Accounting Officer, in the letter of appointment, which states:
	"Your Appointment is in accordance with Section 5, subsection 6 of the Government Resources and Accounts Act (GRAA) 2000 and carries with it the responsibility for ensuring that resources authorised by Parliament and sums to be paid out of the consolidated Fund, in respect of the Department for Education, are used for the purposes intended by Parliament."
	Additionally, since 2010, the Department complies with Efficiency Controls measures as set out by Cabinet Office in their guidance. The Department has also implemented internal efficiency controls which require spend above thresholds in specific areas to be approved at ministerial level. Details of such spends are provided in the following table:
	
		
			 Spend area Ministerial threshold (£000) 
			 Advertising, Marketing and Communications 100 
			 Consultancy 20 
			 External Recruitment (1)— 
			 (1) All external recruitment cases at SCS level. 
		
	
	The resources authorised by Parliament are already published on the Department's estimate, a link is available:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/197738/dfe_mainsupplyestimates_201314.pdf
	A copy will be placed in the House Library.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Developing Countries: Malnutrition

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps her Department is taking to ensure that all the governments which attended the Nutrition for Growth event on 8 June 2013 make their promised financial commitments to tackle malnutrition.

Lynne Featherstone: International donors made new financial commitments at the Nutrition for Growth event of up to £2.7 billion over the period 2013 to 2020. Countries which are members of the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) movement also made financial commitments related to increased allocation of domestic resources. DFID will shortly launch an accountability mechanism to track and report annually on all the Nutrition for Growth commitments.

Developing Countries: Malnutrition

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development in what countries and to support which activities her Department will disburse the monetary commitments made by the Nutrition for Growth event on 8 June 2013.

Lynne Featherstone: Decisions on new bilateral programmes will be taken by DFID country offices. Officials in Whitehall will work closely with its country offices, partner governments, donors and the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) movement as part of the decision-making process. Geographical location will be dictated by greatest need and potential impact. New financial commitments will support nutrition specific activities, such as promotion of breastfeeding, complementary feeding, management of severe acute malnutrition, vitamin A supplementation and salt iodisation.

Female Genital Mutilation

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department about those at risk of female genital mutilation seeking asylum in the UK.

Lynne Featherstone: I have had regular discussions with Home Office and other Government Ministers about a range of measures to protect girls from female genital mutilation in the UK and overseas, and to help eradicate this appalling practice.

Palestinians

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development pursuant to the answer of 11 June 2013, Official Report, column 279W, on Palestinians, when her Department will complete its consideration of the costs and benefits of additional assistance for vulnerable communities in Area C.

Alan Duncan: DFID is committed to helping the poorest Palestinian people, many of whom live within Area C. Extensive discussions are currently under way with relevant authorities, other donors and civil society groups about how we can support the potential development of infrastructure in Area C of the Occupied Palestinian Territories. DFID is now assessing the full costs and benefits of additional assistance for vulnerable communities in Area C including how they could form a part of Secretary Kerry's economic track of the Middle East Peace Process discussions.

South Africa

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what consideration determined the timing of her announcement in April 2013 that the UK's bilateral aid programme to South Africa would end in 2015;
	(2)  whether representatives of the South African government expressed concern about her decision to end the UK's bilateral aid programme to South Africa in 2015 before the announcement of the decision on 30 April 2013.

Justine Greening: There have been on-going discussions with the Government of South Africa on the intention to end bilateral aid over the last year. The communique of the UK-SA Bilateral Forum was agreed yesterday by both Governments and sets out the approach to our future development relationship with South Africa.

Staff

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many posts in her Department have been relocated from London to each other region in each of the last 10 years.

Alan Duncan: DFID has undertaken three programmes of post relocations from London to our second headquarters site in East Kilbride in Scotland over the last 10 years. Available figures show plans for relocation of 85 posts over the period 2004-06. A further 70 posts were relocated over the period 2010-11. 41 posts were relocated over the period 2012-13. Relocation of individual posts from London to Scotland is also considered on a continuous and case-by-case basis as posts become vacant or are re-structured.

Syria

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how her Department plans to allocate the additional £52 million of UK aid to Syria.

Alan Duncan: So far the UK has provided £348 million to assist those most in need as a result of the Syria crisis. The money is being spent through a combination of partners and UN agencies, specifically the World Food Programme and the UN Refugee Agency. This funding has provided food for over 285,000 people a month, water for almost 1 million people and approximately 300,000 medical consultations.
	We are currently in discussions with our partners to allocate an additional £52 million based on a continuous assessment of needs. The Secretary of State during her recent visit to the region announced that £10 million of this will be allocated to needs in Jordan. We also intend to increase our emphasis in helping the 1 million children refugees.

HEALTH

Mortuaries

Andrew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many cadavers were held in public mortuaries for more than one month in each year since 1997;
	(2)  what the estimated cost of holding cadavers in public mortuaries was in each year since 1997.

Anna Soubry: The Department does not collect this information centrally.

NHS England

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what responsibilities were transferred from his Department to NHS England and its predecessor organisations in (a) 2011, (b) 2012 and (c) 2013 to date;
	(2)  what the annual budget of NHS England and its predecessor organisations was in (a) 2011, (b) 2012 and (c) 2013;
	(3)  what the value of contracts overseen by NHS England and its predecessor organisations has been in (a) 2011, (b) 2012 and (c) 2013 to date.

Anna Soubry: We have taken "predecessor organisations" to mean NHS England as a body and not other organisations that were part of the health and care system before April 2013 i.e. strategic health authorities and primary care trusts.
	The NHS Commissioning Board Authority, a special health authority, was set up on 31 October 2011 by the NHS Commissioning Board Authority (Establishment and Constitution) Order 2011. Special health authorities exercise specified functions of the Secretary of State, and this authority's function was to prepare for the establishment and operation of NHS England. The authority was abolished on establishment of NHS England.
	The establishment and functions of NHS England (known in legislation as the National Health Service Commissioning Board) were provided for by the National Health Service Act 2006, as amended by the Health and Social Care Act 2012. The Health and Social Care Act 2012 (Commencement No.2 and Transitional, Savings and Transitory Provisions) Order 2012 brought into force a number of provisions of the 2012 Act on 1 October 2012, including those which brought about the establishment of NHS England and conferred on it some of its functions in preparation for the new system coming into force on 1 April 2013.
	The Health and Social Care Act 2012 (Commencement No.4, Transitional, Savings and Transitory Provisions) Order 2013 brought into force further provisions of the 2012 Act, in particular those which provided for most of the remaining functions of NHS England on 1 April 2013. These are largely set out in Part 2 of the 2006 Act and relate to the commissioning of NHS services, responsibility for which was previously held by strategic health authorities and primary care trusts.
	The NHS Commissioning Board Authority's budget, from its establishment on 31 October 2011 until the end of that financial year (March 2012) was £7.3 million revenue. The combined budget for the NHS Commissioning Board Authority and NHS England for the 2012-13 financial year was £81.7 million revenue and £7.7 million capital.
	NHS England's annual allocation is now set out in the mandate from the Government to NHS England. For 2013-14 this is £95,623 million revenue and £200 million capital.
	The value of contracts overseen by NHS England is a matter for that organisation. We understand that NHS England does not hold a central list of the value of contracts overseen by NHS England or its predecessor organisations.

NHS England

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the net value is of the property portfolio owned by NHS England;
	(2)  what the net value is of the property portfolio managed by NHS England.

Anna Soubry: NHS England does not own or manage any properties. As part of the NHS Health and Social Care Act 2012, NHS Property Services Ltd, was established to perform this function.

NHS England

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the annual salary is of the Chief Executive of NHS England;
	(2)  what the salaries are of each board member of NHS England.

Anna Soubry: The following table provides salary details (within £5,000 bands) for NHS England's directors:
	
		
			 Name Job title Salary (in £5,000 bands) £000 
			 Professor Sir Malcolm Grant Chair (1)60 to 65 
			 Lord Victor Adebowale Non-executive director 5 to 10 
			 Margaret Casely-Hayford Non-executive director (2)0 
		
	
	
		
			 Ciaran Devane Non-executive director 5 to 10 
			 Dame Moira Gibb Non-executive director 5 to 10 
			 Naguib Kheraj Non-executive director (2)0 
			 Ed Smith Non-executive director and chair of Audit Committee 10 to 15 
			 Sir David Nicholson Chief executive 210 to 215 
			 Professor Sir Bruce Keogh National medical director 190 to 195 
			 Paul Baumann Chief financial officer 200 to 205 
			 Dame Barbara Hakin Acting chief operating officer/Deputy chief executive 195 to 200 
			 Bill McCarthy National director: Policy 175 to 180 
			 Tim Kelsey National director for patients and information 180 to 185 
			 Jo-Anne Wass National director: HR and organisational development 155 to 160 
			 Jane Cummings Chief nursing officer 165 to 170 
			 Rosamond Roughton Acting national director: Commissioning development 165 to 170 
			 (1) Paid to UCL, rather than to Professor Sir Malcolm Grant. (2) Margaret Casely-Hayford and Naguib Kheraj have waived their entitlement to remuneration for their appointments.

NHS England

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total number of staff employed by NHS England is.

Anna Soubry: NHS England advises that it employs 6,187 staff as at 31 July 2013.

NHS: Drugs

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 17 July 2013, Official Report, column 721W, on Warfarin, what responsibility NHS England has for the enforcement of the NHS Constitution with regards to patients' legal rights to medicines approved by NICE;
	(2)  what action NHS England may take to direct (a) NHS medicines management organisations and (b) Clinical Commissioning Groups to alter prescribing protocols which it judges to be in conflict with the provisions of the NHS constitution as it pertains to patients' legal rights to access to medicines approved by NICE;
	(3)  what steps have been taken by NHS England to date against those NHS organisations which may have breached the NHS constitution by publishing prescribing protocols on the use of anticoagulants which restrict patient access to novel oral anticoagulants to a second-line therapy.

Daniel Poulter: The NHS constitution sets out that patients have the right to drugs and treatments that have been recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for use in the national health service, if their doctor says they are clinically appropriate for them. Both NHS England and clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) have a statutory duty to promote the NHS constitution.
	NHS England has advised that it will be publishing weblinks to trust formularies as part of the Innovation Scorecard in October 2013, to improve transparency on what treatments are available at a local level. This will enable patients, CCGs and local area teams to challenge breaches of the NHS constitution if treatments are not made available at a local level.
	Where allegations of non-compliance to NICE guidelines have been made prior to the establishment of NHS England, these were investigated by strategic health authorities and all claims were refuted by trust chief pharmacists and evidence of usage was provided. NHS England also advised that it is not aware of any new allegations on non-compliance to Warfarin.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Bed and Breakfast Accommodation

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many families in (a) Barnsley Central constituency, (b) South Yorkshire and (c) England are recorded as living in bed and breakfast (B&B) accommodation; and how many such families were recorded as living in B&Bs in (i) 2010, (ii) 2011 and (iii) 2012.

Mark Prisk: holding answer 3 June 2013
	The latest figures on the number of households with dependent children or expectant mothers with no other dependent children recorded as living in bed and breakfast accommodation relate to 31 December 2012 and are included in the following table. The table also gives figures for 31 December 2010 and 31 December 2011.
	The figures are the total numbers reported by local authorities as at each date. It is not possible from the information provided to identify individual households and so to track the number of households in bed and breakfast accommodation as at 31 December 2012 that had also been in bed and breakfast accommodation on any particular previous dates.
	
		
			  Number of households with dependent children or expectant mothers with no other dependent children in bed and breakfast accommodation as at 31 December: 
			  2010 2011 2012 
			 Barnsley Council 0 0 0 
			 South Yorkshire(1) 0 1 3 
			 England 660 1,310 1,690 
			 (1) Comprises Barnsley, Doncaster, Rotherham arid Sheffield. Source: P1E quarterly returns 
		
	
	Figures for 31 March 2012 will be published on 6 June.
	The figures for England are also available in DCLG Live Table 775, at
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-homelessness
	The Barnsley Central constituency falls wholly within the area of Barnsley council. The area of Barnsley council also includes parts of the parts of Penistone and Stocksbridge, Wentworth and Dearne, and Barnsley East constituencies.
	Homelessness is around half the average rate it was under the last Administration, and remains lower than in 27 of the last 30 years. England has a strong safety net, protected in law, to ensure families always have a roof over their head.
	It is unacceptable and avoidable for families to be placed in bed and breakfast accommodation for long periods and legislation remains in place that prohibits the use of bed and breakfast accommodation for families unless in an emergency, and then for no more than six weeks.
	We called on local housing authorities not to use bed and breakfast accommodation for families as one of the 10 challenges we set them in the recent Ministerial Working Group Report on Homelessness. These challenges form the basis of the Homelessness Gold Standard Challenge—a local peer review scheme supported by nearly £2 million of Government funding.
	On 1 August, I announced the seven local authorities that account for almost 50% of families in bed and breakfast over six weeks who we are supporting with nearly £2 million, to test innovative and sustainable solutions to reduce the unacceptable numbers of families in bed and breakfast accommodation. Alongside this additional funding, a new working group has been formed which will work closely with local authorities using bed and breakfast to house families to help them tackle this damaging practice.

Betting Shops

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent assessment he has made of the effects of betting shops on local communities.

Nicholas Boles: We continue to work with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to consider the effect of betting shops. Local authorities have powers to act where there are particular local concerns.

Bookmakers

Lyn Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many times he has met representatives of the bookmakers industry in the last three years.

Nicholas Boles: Details of Ministers' meeting with external organisations are routinely published on my Department's website.

Conditions of Employment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many staff (a) directly employed and (b) indirectly employed through other companies by his Department were employed on zero-hours contracts in each of the last 10 years.

Brandon Lewis: The Department for Communities and Local Government has had two directly employed staff on zero-hour contracts since the Department was established in May 2006. More information is available in my answer of 2 July 2013, Official Report, column 535W.
	The Department does not hold the information on indirectly employed staff through other companies.

Council Housing: Woking

Jonathan Lord: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many local authority properties have been purchased through the Government's right-to-buy scheme in Woking constituency in each of the last five years.

Mark Prisk: Figures for local authority sales through the right to buy scheme are not available at a constituency level, but are available at a local authority level. The two local authorities covered by the Woking constituency are Woking and Guildford.
	Woking local authority made 45 sales between 2008-09 and 2012-13, while there were 48 sales in Guildford over the same period. Further information is available in Table 685 on the Department's website:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-social-housing-sales#right-to-buy-sales
	It should be noted that these are sales from local authorities and do not include sales of social housing stock through Preserved Right to Buy made by registered providers (such as housing associations).
	Right to Buy sales have increased in both Guildford and Woking since the new discounts were introduced, but there is more to do to inform tenants of their new rights and help them up the ladder of home ownership.

Housing: Carbon Emissions

Greg Mulholland: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps the Government is taking to ensure that all new homes are carbon-zero by 2016.

Don Foster: As set out in Budget 2013, the Government remains committed to implementing zero carbon homes from 2016. A further strengthening of the energy efficiency requirements in Building Regulations was announced in a written ministerial statement on 30 July 2013, Official Report, columns 165-66WS. A consultation seeking views on the next steps to zero carbon homes including a flexible way to help home builders meet the zero carbon standard through the use of cost effective 'Allowable Solutions' was published on 6 August.

Local Government: ICT

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 24 April 2013, Official Report, column 989W, on local government: ICT, what progress he has made on measures to allow town and parish councils to (a) make online payments and (b) send agendas electronically.

Brandon Lewis: I refer the hon. Member to my written ministerial statement of 10 September 2013, Official Report, column 43WS. We are aware of the support for a change in legislation to remove any doubts about councils' ability to send agendas electronically and we are minded to legislate to enable this by April of 2014.

TREASURY

Business: North Yorkshire

Andrew Jones: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many loans have been provided to small and medium-sized enterprises in North Yorkshire as a result of the funding for lending scheme.

Greg Clark: The funding for lending scheme has contributed to a transformation of the bank funding environment and banks are now passing these on to the real economy including to small businesses.
	As part of the monitoring of the funding for lending scheme, the Bank of England publishes the net lending data of individual banks on a quarterly basis. A regional breakdown is however unavailable. The Bank of England will publish net lending figures by sector once the extension begins.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  pursuant to the oral evidence of the Permanent Secretary of his Department to the Treasury Sub-Committee, 3 September 2013, uncorrected transcript, Q63, stating that his Department had not signed a blank cheque for High Speed 2, what upper limit his Department has set for spending on that project;
	(2)  what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport regarding the upper limit HM Treasury has set for spending on High Speed 2;
	(3)  whether the current budget for High Speed 2 includes the budget for the compensation package that is currently being reconsulted on; and whether provision has been made for the costs of a potential increase in that compensation package.

Danny Alexander: holding answer11 September 2013
	The 2013 spending round set a funding envelope for High Speed 2 of £42.6 billion for construction costs (£21.4 billion for Phase 1 and £21.2 billion for Phase 2) and £7.5 billion for rolling stock, including £16.1 billion of contingency, in 2011 prices. This envelope also makes provision for a property consultation package which goes beyond statutory requirements.
	The Government expects the railway to be delivered for less than this long-term envelope, and the Secretary of State for Transport has set HS2 Ltd a lower ‘target price' of £17.16 billion to deliver Phase 1. More detail on the Government's long-term capital spending plans is available in “Investing in Britain's Future”:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/209279/PU1524_IUK_new_template.pdf

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  what estimate has been made of the Barnett consequential for Northern Ireland for the money that (a) has already been spent, (b) is contracted to be spent and (c) will be spent in England on High Speed 2;
	(2)  what estimate has been made of the Barnett consequential for Wales from expenditure (a) already spent, (b) currently contracted to be spent and (c) projected to be spent in England on High Speed 2.

Danny Alexander: Allocations to the devolved Administrations at spending reviews are made in the form of block grants. It is not possible to identify consequentials for individual spending items within the total grant. Barnett consequentials for HS2 will be determined in line with the Statement of Funding Policy in the normal way.

Public Expenditure

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the effect on total managed expenditure of immigration from Romania and Bulgaria after 2014.

Danny Alexander: There is no reliable way of estimating future numbers of Bulgarian and Romanian migrants and any potential impact on total managed expenditure. Any such impact will be managed within existing budgets.

Public Expenditure: Scotland

Iain McKenzie: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent discussions his Department has had with the Scottish Government on shovel-ready projects financed by the additional £395 million provided in the last autumn statement.

Danny Alexander: As a result of policy decisions taken by the UK Government, the Scottish Government has received £1.6 billion of additional capital funding over the course of the current spending review, including £394 million as a result of autumn statement 2012.
	It is for the Scottish Government to determine its own priorities for this spending.

Revenue and Customs

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what HM Revenue and Customs' total yield in each area of its activity (a) was in each year since 2010-11 and (b) is targeted to be in each year between 2013-14 and 2015-16.

David Gauke: The additional revenues collected from compliance activities by HM Revenue and Customs for each year since 2010-11 is as follows;
	
		
			 £ billion 
			  2010-11(1) 2011-12 2012-13 
			 Personal Tax n/a 12.2 0.9 
			 Business Tax n/a 5.6 6.1 
			 Enforcement and Compliance n/a 0.8 13.7 
			 Total additional revenues 13.9 18.6 20.7 
			 (1) The methodology for calculating additional revenue collected from compliance activity changed between 2010-11 and 2011-12, and so the figure of £13.9 billion is not directly comparable to later years. HMRC is committed to delivering an extra £9 billion a year by 2014-15 and is on track.

Revenue and Customs

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many apprentices have been employed by HM Revenue and Customs in each year since 2010-11; and how many people will be so employed in each year until 2015-16.

David Gauke: This year HMRC has developed and introduced an approach to externally recruit apprentices. HMRC also participates in the Civil Service Wide Fast Track Apprenticeship scheme which offers an alternative route to further education for 18 to 21 year groups.
	Under the last Government, HMRC did not recruit apprentices.
	HMRC currently recruit apprentices to undertake the following roles:
	(a) Level 2 or level 3 qualification in Business Administration or Customer Service
	(b) Level 4—IT higher Apprenticeship
	(c) Level 4 Business Administration (Civil Service Fast Track Scheme)
	During 2013-14, HMRC plan to employ 207 apprentices:
	52 have already been appointed
	120 join September/October 2013 on the Civil Service Fast Track scheme
	11 join September/October 2013—IT higher apprenticeship programme
	24 to be recruited January 2014
	During 2014-15 and 2015-16, the IT Profession plan to offer a further 12 places each year to undertake a higher level 4 apprenticeship in IT.
	HMRC consider apprenticeships as part of standard business and workforce planning processes. The final decisions on numbers will be determined and agreed, as part of the departmental workforce plans, and once confirmed HMRC may be able to offer more.

Revenue and Customs

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff in each area of its activity HM Revenue and Customs expects to retire in each year between 2013-14 and 2015-16.

David Gauke: HMRC does not operate a fixed retirement age policy and does not know when individuals will choose to retire. HMRC uses a statistical model to forecast likely levels of full-time equivalent (FTE) staff retirements based on historic data. The latest forecast for each of HMRC's lines of business is shown in table 1.
	
		
			 Table 1: Forecast FTE reductions due to retirement and early retirement 
			 Retirements and early retirements by line of business(1) 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 
			 Enforcement and Compliance 450 490 520 
			 Personal Tax 320 330 340 
			 Corporate Services 80 80 90 
			 Benefits and Credits 60 70 70 
			 Business Tax 60 70 70 
			 (1) Forecasts are rounded to the nearest 10 FTE 
		
	
	These results exclude staff who have reduced their working hours as part of a partial retirement arrangement.
	Current plans are for Enforcement and Compliance FTEs to rise to a total of around 28,000 during 2014-15 before reducing again through natural wastage to around 25,700 by end 2015-16 as part of our overall efficiency commitments.

Revenue and Customs

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff HM Revenue and Customs expects to make (a) voluntarily and (b) compulsorily redundant from each area of its activity in each year from 2013-14 to 2015-16; and how much HM Revenue and Customs has allocated to meet redundancy costs in each such year.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has set no money aside for voluntary redundancy and compulsory redundancy in 2014-15 and 2015-16. If staff are required to be made voluntarily or compulsorily redundant, HMRC will need to meet the cost out of its existing funds.
	Data for 2013-14 is provided as follows:
	
		
			 2013-14 
			 Line of business Grand total Voluntary redundancies Compulsory redundancies 
			 Benefits and Credits 0 — — 
			 Business Tax 0 — — 
			 Corporate Services 5 .4 1 
			 Enforcement and Compliance 19 18 1 
			 Personal Tax 81 74 7 
			 Grand total 105 96 9 
			     
			 Cost (£) 3,496,960 3,398,284 98,676

Revenue and Customs

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff HM Revenue and Customs has made (a) voluntarily and (b) compulsorily redundant in each of its areas of activity in each year from 2010-11 to 2012-13; and how much HM Revenue and Customs has spent on redundancy costs in each such year.

David Gauke: The number of staff that HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has made voluntarily and compulsorily redundant in each of its lines of business from 2010-11 to 2012-13, together with the amount spent on such redundancy costs, are shown in the following tables.
	Under Cabinet Office protocols for managing staff surpluses, all HMRC staff leaving under compulsory redundancy (CR) terms have first been offered and declined voluntary redundancy (VR) terms. To date this approach has ensured that all staff who have left HMRC on CR terms have acquiesced to compulsory redundancy, either because accepting CR over VR terms has not financially disadvantaged them, or they have declined a reasonable alternative redeployment solution in favour of CR terms.
	The redundancies have had no effect on the level of service provided by HMRC.
	
		
			 2010-11 
			 Line of business Grand total Voluntary redundancies Compulsory redundancies 
			 Benefits and Credits 2 2 0 
			 Business Tax 0 0 0 
			 Corporate Services 23 22 1 
			 Enforcement and Compliance 136 132 4 
			 Personal Tax 318 308 10 
			 Grand total 479 464 15 
			     
			 Costs (£) 14,771,065 14,503,028 268,041 
		
	
	
		
			 2011-12 
			 Line of business Grand total Voluntary redundancies Compulsory redundancies 
			 Benefits and Credits 0 0 0 
			 Business Tax 0 0 0 
			 Corporate Services 14 12 2 
			 Enforcement and Compliance 6 5 1 
			 Personal Tax 11 8 3 
			 Grand total 31 25 6 
			     
			 Costs (£) 827,414 783,933 43,481 
		
	
	
		
			 2012-13 
			 Line of business Grand total Voluntary redundancies Compulsory redundancies 
			 Benefits and Credits 0 0 0 
			 Business Tax 0 0 0 
			 Corporate Services 27 26 1 
			 Enforcement and Compliance 4 4  
			 Personal Tax 1 0 1 
			 Grand total 32 30 2 
			     
			 Costs (£) 1,190,944 1,156,281 34,663

Tax Avoidance

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent assessment he has made of the accuracy of the tax gap estimates produced by (a) HM Revenue and Customs and (b) alternative sources; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: The tax gap estimates published in “Measuring Tax Gaps 2012” are produced by Government analysts working in HMRC in line with the values, principles and protocols set out in the Code of Practice for Official Statistics. Details of the accuracy and the methodologies used to produce the estimates are published both in the main report and in the Methodological Annex:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/tax-gaps/mtg-2012.pdf
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/tax-gaps/mtg-annex2012.pdf
	HMRC is aware of alternative estimates of the tax gap. Such estimates use different definitions of the tax gap and are therefore not directly comparable. HMRC's view of the main alternative method used to calculate the tax gap is set out in:
	http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201213/cmselect/cmtreasy/124/12405.htm

Tax Avoidance

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what target HM Revenue and Customs has set for reducing the tax gap in each year of the 2013 Spending Round period as (a) an overall figure and (b) a proportion of tax liabilities.

David Gauke: HM Revenue and Customs does not use the tax gap estimate for setting targets or performance measurement as it is not sufficiently accurate or timely for these purposes.
	HMRC has set targets for additional revenues raised through compliance activity as set out in Spending Round 2013:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/209036/spending-round-2013-complete.pdf

Tax Evasion

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent progress has been made by HM Revenue and Customs in initiating proceedings against those included in the 2012 and 2013 most wanted lists of tax fugitives; and if he will make a statement.

David Gauke: HM Revenues Customs (HMRC) launched their most wanted list in August 2012. during the current coalition Government. 20 photographs were issued to the British press together with a brief outline of each case.
	Following a re-launch in August 2013, when the list was expanded to 30 individuals, Malcolm McGowan was arrested at a public swimming pool, by officers of the Guardia Civil acting on the outstanding Spanish Arrest warrant. HMRC successfully extradited McGowan by ferry from Spain on 5 September 2013 and he is now in prison.
	HMRC continues to work towards bringing all current HMRC fugitives (including those featured in the Most Wanted Campaign) before the UK Courts. HMRC uses all available systems and resources to locate and trace individuals. This includes working closely with HMRC's Overseas Liaison Officers, Crown Prosecution Service, Serious Organised Crime Agency, Interpol and International Partners.
	HMRC continues to receive information concerning Fugitives from the Most Wanted campaign, both from the UK and from overseas. This information is analysed with the aim of supporting further arrests and successful extraditions from both the European Union and elsewhere.
	A breakdown on progress on the 32 cases featured in HMRC's Most Wanted Campaign is as follows:
	
		
			  Comments Number 
			 Proceedings started — 8 
			 Arrests/Conviction John Nugent Anthony Judge Malcolm McGowan 3 
			 Proceedings not yet possible due to lack of extradition treaty European Arrest Warrants (EAWs) in place for two individuals who may travel 6 
			 Proceedings not yet possible as host country does not extradite for the Tax Offence Considering EAW in one case 2 
			 Proceedings not yet possible, as Fugitive not located — 11 
			 Awaiting Legal Decision Currently with Crown Prosecution Service 2

WORK AND PENSIONS

Conditions of Employment

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many 16 to 24 year olds in (a) Jarrow Constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK have been employed on zero-hours contracts in each of the past five years.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated September 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions asking how many 16 to 24 year olds in (a) Jarrow Constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK have been employed on zero hours contracts in each of the past five years. (168201)
	Currently, the only official source of estimates of people employed on zero-hours contracts is the Labour Force Survey (LFS). Unfortunately, the LFS does not currently allow for robust analysis by age group of zero-hours contracts and, due to sample size, estimates are not available for areas smaller than the UK.
	On 22 August 2013 the Office for National Statistics announced plans for an additional regular estimate of the number of 'zero-hours' employment contracts in the UK workforce:
	http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/mro/news-release/ons-announces-additional-estimate-of-zero-hours-contracts/zhc0813.html

Conditions of Employment

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for how many hours an employee on a zero-hours contract has to work to be counted as employed rather than unemployed in his Department's monthly employment statistics.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Cabinet Office.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Glen Watson, dated September 2013
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions asking how many hours an employee on a zero hours contract has to work to be counted as employed rather than unemployed in his Department's monthly employment statistics. (168202)
	Estimates of people in employment on zero-hours contracts are available from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). To be classified as in employment a respondent has to report that they had either:
	(i) done some paid work in the survey reference week; or
	(ii) had been temporarily away from a job.
	Once a respondent has been identified as being in employment, details about the type of job are collected by asking further questions.
	Anybody on a zero hours contract who satisfied either of the conditions above would be classified as in employment and included in the monthly employment statistics. Anyone else on a zero hours contract, e.g. someone who did no work in the reference week and did not consider themselves to be temporarily absent, would not be classified as in employment. They would be classified as either unemployed or economically inactive, depending on their availability for work and their job search activity, which would be determined by subsequent questions. It is not possible to estimate how many people on zero hours contracts are not classified as in employment.
	The classifications used in the LFS are consistent with the standards for international comparisons as set out by the United Nations International Labour Organisation (ILO).

Employment

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the average weekly number of job applications submitted by each jobseeker in (a) Ashfield constituency, (b) Nottinghamshire, (c) the East Midlands and (d) England in each of the last 24 months.

Mark Hoban: No such estimate has been made as this information is not routinely gathered.

Employment and Support Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on assisting recipients of Employment and Support Allowance into work through the Work Programme since June 2011.

Mark Hoban: From June 2011 to March 2013 (the period of the latest Work Programme statistical release) £83 million has been paid to providers for claimants in the ESA payment groups (Payment Groups 5, 6 and 7).

Employment and Support Allowance

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in the employment and support allowance work-related activity group have a prognosis of unlikely to return to work in the longer term. [Official Report, 22 November 2013, Vol. 570, c. 7-9MC.]

Mark Hoban: There is no such prognosis as being unable to return to work in the longer-term. However, the following table shows how many claimants have been allocated a prognosis of two years or more:
	
		
			 Employment and support allowance (ESA) new claims—Outcomes of initial functional assessments by prognosis and month of result date, for the work related activity group, Great Britain 
			  Claimants with prognosis of two years or more 
			 2008  
			 December — 
			   
			 2009  
			 January — 
			 February — 
			 March 200 
			 April 200 
			 May 200 
			 June 300 
			 July 400 
			 August 400 
			 September 300 
			 October 300 
			 November 300 
			 December 300 
			   
			 2010  
			 January 300 
			 February 300 
			 March 300 
			 April 200 
			 May 300 
			 June 300 
			 July 300 
			 August 200 
			 September 300 
		
	
	
		
			 October 300 
			 November 200 
			 December 200 
			   
			 2011  
			 January 200 
			 February 200 
			 March 200 
			 April 200 
			 May 200 
			 June 100 
			 July 100 
			 August 100 
			 September 100 
			 October 100 
			 November 100 
			 December 100 
			   
			 2012  
			 January 200 
			 February 200 
			 March 200 
			 April 200 
			 May 200 
			 June 200 
			 July 200 
			 August 200 
			 September 200 
			 October 300 
			 November 300 
			 December 200 
			   
			 2013  
			 January 200 
			 February 200 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are shown rounded to the nearest 100. 2. '—' denotes nil or negligible. Scope: Initial functional assessment—the first assessment of the employment and support allowance claim. The outcome recorded is the final DWP decision-maker's decision or the recommendation made by the Atos Healthcare professional where the decision-maker's decision is not yet available. Source: Data in the table is derived from administrative data held by the DWP and assessment data provided by Atos Healthcare.

Employment and Support Allowance

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people previously in receipt of incapacity benefit have been placed in the employment and support allowance work-related activity group without being seen by an assessor.

Mark Hoban: The information is as follows:
	
		
			 Incapacity benefits reassessments—outcomes for paper based assessments, Great Britain (IB claimants referred for reassessment between September 2011 and November 2012) 
			 Month of referral for reassessment WRAG outcomes 
			 September 2011 9,700 
			 October 2011 10,000 
			 November 2011 10,400 
			 December 2011 10,200 
			 January 2012 9,100 
			 February 2012 8,400 
		
	
	
		
			 March 2012 8,800 
			 April 2012 9,100 
			 May 2012 9,900 
			 June 2012 9,100 
			 July 2012 10,600 
			 August 2012 10,100 
			 September 2012 9,200 
			 October 2012 10,500 
			 November 2012 10,300 
			 Total 145,300 
			 Notes: 1. All figures are rounded to the nearest 100. Hence totals may not sum exactly. 2. A small number of cases where the data is inconsistent with the policy have been excluded from this table. 3. When someone claiming incapacity benefits is reassessed for ESA, they will only have to undergo a face-to-face work capability assessment (WCA) if there is insufficient evidence for a paper-based WCA to be carried out. Source: The figures are derived from administrative data held by the Department for Work and Pensions and assessment data provided by Atos Healthcare.

Housing Benefit: Greater London

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what level of transitional funding for housing allowance has been allocated to each London borough for the financial year (a) 2010-11, (b) 2011-12 and (c) 2012-13 to date; and what the intended level is in 2013-14.

Steve Webb: The following table provides details of the housing benefit transitional funding allocated to local authorities in London.
	
		
			 £ 
			 Local authority 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 
			 Barking and Dagenham 294,875 68,143 41,448 
			 Barnet — 241,642 43,712 
			 Bexley — 38,447 23,841 
			 Brent 216,526 522,149 86,081 
			 Bromley — 58,830 40,707 
			 Camden — 192,363 70;637 
			 City of London — 3,955 2,334 
			 Croydon — 192,448 56,397 
			 Ealing — 275,656 58,775 
			 Enfield — 215,103 46,898 
			 Greenwich — 60,022 59,401 
			 Hackney — 254,015 98,972 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham — 133,623 57,931 
			 Haringey 525,000 208,524 71,994 
			 Harrow — 82,093 23,481 
			 Havering — 43,903 20,758 
			 Hillingdon — 84,335 35,840 
			 Hounslow — 93,456 40,162 
			 Islington — 154,251 88,546 
			 Kensington and Chelsea — 460,766 45,666 
			 Kingston upon Thames — 46,965 16,005 
			 Lambeth 266,000 125,739 102,129 
			 Lewisham — 177,545 69,082 
			 Merton — 62,890 23,722 
			 Newham — 116,368 66,449 
			 Redbridge — 114,632 23,253 
		
	
	
		
			 Richmond upon Thames — 37,760 18,187 
			 Southwark — 76,542 99,068 
			 Sutton — 46,359 20,950 
			 Tower Hamlets — 128,333 104,668 
			 Waltham Forest — 120,219 50,421 
			 Wandsworth — 195,959 60,939 
			 Westminster — 1,311,681 66,930

Housing Benefit: Private Rented Housing

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the current average level of housing allowance paid to claimants in the private rented sector in each London borough is; and what the equivalent payment was in each of the last three years.

Steve Webb: The information requested for the average amount of housing benefit paid to claimants in the private rented sector in each London borough can be found at:
	https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk
	Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at:
	https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm

Incapacity Benefit

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he plans to publish figures on incapacity benefit reassessments and decisions by condition group.

Mark Hoban: The Department has no plans to publish figures on incapacity benefit reassessments results by condition group.

Jobseeker's Allowance

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many foreign-born nationals claimed jobseeker's allowance in each of the last five years.

Mark Hoban: The information requested is not available.
	However this Department has released estimates on working age benefit recipients which can be found in the publication for NINo allocations to adult overseas nationals entering the UK: registrations to March 2013 here:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nino-allocations-to-adult-overseas-nationals-entering-the-uk-registrations-to-march-2013

Jobseeker's Allowance

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the full breakdown of sanctions issued against jobseeker's allowance claimants since 2010-11 is.

Mark Hoban: Statistics on the full breakdown of sanctions issued against jobseeker's allowance (JSA) claimants since 2010-11 can be found at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions/series/dwp-statistics-tabulation-tool
	Guidance for users is available at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/203439/tab-tool-guidance.pdf
	The statistics on JSA sanctions applied from 22 October 2012 will be published in due course. A proposed publication date will be announced in advance via
	https://www.gov.uk/
	and
	http://www.statsusernet.org.uk/Home/
	in the “Welfare and Benefits” community.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Domestic Violence

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  whether he has made an assessment of the extent to which the jobseeker's allowance domestic violence easement is applied in jobcentres in practice; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether he plans to implement the recommendations of his Department's research report entitled Domestic Violence: Implementation of JSA DV Easement and DDV Concession, published in June 2013; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: DWP directly supports domestic violence victims in a number of ways. The jobseeker’s allowance domestic violence (JSA DV) easement helps victims of actual or threatened domestic violence by allowing a break from jobseeking activity to enable claimants to stabilise their lives and those of their families.
	The Domestic Violence Implementation of JSA DV Easement and DDV Concession—Small Scale Qualitative Research published on 20 June 2013—identified nationally that 338 claimants have taken up the four week easement and 115 claimants have taken up the full 13 week easement.
	While this demonstrates that the easement is being applied in jobcentres in practice, the research was commissioned by the Department to highlight how we can further improve service delivery.
	Work is already under way to implement the recommendations from the report which. includes action to improve the local level understanding of both policies and refreshing guidance and communications to ensure that all claimants who experience domestic violence are able to get the help and support that they need.

Ministers' Private Offices

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how much his private ministerial office spent on sending Christmas cards in 2012;
	(2)  which newspapers, periodicals and trade profession publications his private ministerial office subscribes to on a (a) daily, (b) weekly, (c) monthly and (d) quarterly basis;
	(3)  how many full-time equivalent staff of each civil service grade are currently employed in the private office of each Minister in his Department; and what the pay band of each such member of staff is.

Mark Hoban: The Secretary of State's private ministerial office spent no money on sending Christmas cards in 2012
	The Secretary of State's private ministerial office does not subscribe to any newspapers, periodicals or trade profession publications.
	Details of the staff employed on each ministerial team are shown as follows:
	
		
			   Number 
			 Secretary of State Senior civil servant PB1 1 
			  Band G 1 
			  Band F 2 
			  Band D 3 
			    
			 Minister for Employment Band F 1 
			  Band D 3 
			  Band C 1 
			    
			 Minister for Pensions Band F 1 
			  Band D 3 
			  Band C 1 
			    
			 Minister for Disabled People Band F 1 
			  Band D 2 
			  Band C 1 
			    
			 Minister for Welfare Reform Band F 1 
			  Band D 4 
			  Band C 1

New Enterprise Allowance

Toby Perkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions with reference to the answer of 31 August 2012, Official Report, column 87W, on New Enterprise Allowance, whether it remains the case that the scheme will not be extended beyond 2013.

Michael McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost to the Exchequer of doubling the capacity of the New Enterprise Allowance Scheme.

Mark Hoban: We have recently announced the extension of the new enterprise allowance and have therefore considered the cost of running the scheme for a further 15 months for the duration of the extended period. Referrals to the new enterprise allowance will now continue until the end of December 2014. We are making an additional 60,000 mentoring places available, ensuring that access to business start-up support is available to claimants who wish to move into self-employment.
	Latest new enterprise allowance (NEA) statistics published on 21 August 2013 showed that from April 2011 up to and including May 2013 there have been 54,410 starts with a NEA business mentor and 26,160 starts to the NEA weekly allowance.
	The administrative costs for NEA participants are determined locally. The maximum cost per person is £600 (although in some cases is lower). We are providing additional administrative funding of £35 million to meet this cost.
	The NEA weekly allowance is payable over 26 weeks and is worth up to £1,274.

Occupational Pensions

Andrew Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress has been made on the rollout of auto-enrolment pension schemes.

Steve Webb: The largest employers began automatically enrolling their staff on 1 October 2012. All other employers are being "staged in" over the next five years.
	Full roll-out will be achieved in 2018 and the early signs are that it is a success. The Pensions Regulator's (TPR) latest available registration figures show that by 31 July 2013 1,600 employers had enrolled more 1.4 million eligible workers into a qualifying workplace pension.
	Opt out is lower than expected so far. Previous research suggested around a third of people would opt out but the latest research with large employers indicates that around 91% of individuals are currently choosing to continue to save.
	The Department will publish research later this autumn describing the experiences of large employers who have been through automatic enrolment so far to identify key lessons and good practice for employers in the future.

Older Workers

Simon Kirby: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps he intends to take to increase the number of people aged over 50 years old who want to return to work.

Mark Hoban: Advisers in local Jobcentres now have the flexibility to offer all claimants, including older people, a comprehensive menu of help which includes skills provision and job search support. All claimants who are long-term unemployed can access the tailored, back to work support, on offer from the Work programme.

Security

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many departmental identity cards or passes have been reported lost or stolen by staff in his Department since May 2010.

Mark Hoban: The issue and management of site passes are carried out locally by the Department's accommodation service providers. There are no centrally held records of such losses, etc., and to obtain the information requested in relation to the Department's estate would involve disproportionate cost.
	Similar considerations relate to departmental identity cards which are also issued on a local basis to a minority of staff for visiting purposes.

Staff

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many posts in his Department have been relocated from London to each other region in each of the last 10 years.

Mark Hoban: In line with the recommendations of the Lyons Review of Public Sector Relocation published in 2004, the Department reviewed activities undertaken in London and the South East regions. As a result, 1,170 posts were transferred from London to other regions, out of an overall total 4,069 posts relocated from London and the South East. This programme was completed in 2008-09 and no further relocation programmes have been undertaken since.
	
		
			 Region 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 Total 
			 Scotland — — 43 — — — 43 
			 Wales — 38 189 109 28 — 364 
			 North West — 56 256 13 — — 325 
			 Yorkshire and Humber 25 — 18 64 — 5 112 
			 East Midlands — — — 22 — — 22 
			 South West — — 96 39 — 7 142 
			 Northern Ireland — — 162 — — — 162 
			         
			 Total 25 94 764 247 28 12 1,170

Standards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the reasons are for the time taken to publish his Department's Quarterly Data Summary for the second quarter of 2012-13 and the third quarter of 2012-13.

Mark Hoban: The quarter 2 and quarter 3 Quarterly Data Summary (QDS) returns of all 17 Departments participating in the QDS process were delayed owing to the development of the Cabinet Office's Government Interrogating Spending Tool (GIST). The GIST was developed in response to recommendations made in Dr Martin Read's independent report entitled ‘Practical Steps to Improve Management Information in Government'. The GIST is an online tool that allows the public to access a breakdown of government expenditure through the Gov.UK website. It makes the process of accessing and analysing complex QDS and OSCAR data easier and quicker, and for these reasons was seen to justify a short delay in publishing QDS data.

Start Up Loans Company

Michael McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the cost to the Exchequer of doubling the loan book of the Start up Loans Company.

Michael Fallon: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The Start-Up Loans programme is fully funded by Government, therefore doubling the size of the programme would double the expenditure. However, we expect repayments and interest to be generated and have set out in the grant letter to the Start-up Loans company that these monies should be recycled for the benefit of the programme reducing the burden on the Exchequer over time. On current projections every £1 million spent on loans will generate £2.2 million of additional lending over a 10-year period.

Start Up Loans Company

Michael McCann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what amount his Department has spent on the Start-up Loans Company to date; and what that funding has been spent on.

Michael Fallon: I have been asked to reply 
	on behalf of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.
	The Start-up Loans Company is grant funded with an allocated budget of £117.5 million to the end of 2014-15. To date, the company has drawn down £57.5 million of this funding.
	A maximum of 5% of total funding has been allocated to administration costs, with up to 20% intended to support the costs of mentoring, training and support, and loan disbursement and collection by Start-Up Loans' delivery partners (dependent on individually negotiated commercial terms). These allocations are specified under the terms of the grant offer.
	Actual spend in the pilot year will be confirmed in the company's annual accounts, which will be published post-audit. However, information provided by the company indicates that savings on the revenue allocation from reduced administration and transaction costs in excess of £1 million were achieved and recycled as additional capital for lending in the pilot year (2012-13).

Trussell Trust

Fiona O'Donnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what agreements his Department has made with the Trussell Trust since May 2010; what the status of any such agreement is; and what discussions his Department has had with the Trussell Trust since May 2010.

Mark Hoban: Following a meeting with representatives of the Trussell Trust in August 2011, Jobcentre Plus agreed local offices would signpost claimants in crisis if this service was requested by local food banks. We continue to offer this service and signpost claimants to food banks.
	While we have had some correspondence with the Trussell Trust but it has not been considered necessary to have any further discussions; Food banks are not Government responsibility.

Universal Credit

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for what reason war disablement pension is disregarded under universal credit; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: There is a compelling case to accord special treatment to ex-service personnel to acknowledge their unique contribution to safeguarding this country's security. That is why war pensions and guaranteed income payments made under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme—both regular income payments and lump sums—are fully disregarded in universal credit.

Universal Credit

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the resource requirements of any introduction of Jobcentre Plus interviews for universal credit claimants who are deemed to be earning too little;
	(2)  what discussions he has had regarding possible Jobcentre Plus interventions for those earning less than £950 per month, following the introduction of universal credit; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: Universal credit will, for the first time, enable us to engage with people who are in low paid work so that they can earn more. The nature of how we work with these claimants is yet to be determined. No assessment has therefore been made of the resource implications.
	As we made clear during the passage of the Welfare Reform Act we are committed to piloting to understand what type of support works best for people in work before putting in place a national regime. We have consulted widely through the call, for ideas on 'in work' support, and have commenced a programme of tests to explore different approaches.

Universal Credit

Alison McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proposals his Department has made for sanctions under universal credit for claimants who are deemed to be earning too little; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Hoban: At the launch of universal credit we are not imposing full conditionality on claimants in substantive employment until we have identified the best approach through piloting and evaluation. However, claimants with earnings below the conditionality earnings threshold will in the future be expected to look for more work or better paid work or to prepare to be ‘work-ready' and will fall into the appropriate conditionality group according to their capability and circumstances.

Work Programme

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people with a progressive condition are being placed on the Work programme; and what the success rate for placing these claimants back into work has been to date.

Mark Hoban: Information requested is not available.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

British Nationals Abroad: Detainees

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what range of diplomatic responses and sanctions are available to the Government in its relationships with another state when a UK citizen is being detained illegally by that state.

Mark Simmonds: The British Government would take very seriously any case of a British national being detained illegally. We would seek advice on whether the detention was in fact unlawful.. If it became apparent that a British national was being detained illegally, we would consider how best to make representations to the authorities of the country holding the British national.
	Actions would include in the first instance a Note Verbal or letter from the embassy, high commission or consulate. If further consultations were required we could, where appropriate, make representation at ambassadorial, ministerial or prime ministerial level. This might take the form of a letter or phone call to their counterpart, and/or the case might be raised in person in a meeting.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what monitoring is undertaken of the activities of British-based mining companies operating in Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC); and what discussions he has held with the government of DRC on the operation of Extractive Industries Transparency Protocol.

Mark Simmonds: British embassy staff in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) maintain contact with British-based mining companies or their representatives in the course of their business. However, regulating the activities of British businesses overseas is largely the responsibility of the host Government in the country of operation. The UK Business and Human Rights Action Plan, launched on 4 September by the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), and the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, the right hon. Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), sets out the Government's expectations of business in relation to human rights and its own actions in support.
	DRC became an Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI) candidate in 2008 but was temporarily suspended in April 2013. We continue to encourage DRC to seek to meet EITI standards.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with (a) his counterpart in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), (b) his Rwandan counterpart, (c) the UN Special Envoy to the Great Lakes and (d) the UN Special Representatives for the Democratic Republic of Congo, on the need for a renewed political dialogue between the government of the DRC and the M23 rebel group.

Mark Simmonds: During the outbreak of the recent fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), I spoke to both the Special Representative of the Secretary General and the UN Special Envoy. I have also spoken to the Prime Minister of DRC and the Foreign Minister of Rwanda. I have encouraged restraint on all sides, and expressed my support for the work and leadership of the UN. I welcome the fact that talks between the DRC Government and the M23 are to restart. While these talks are unlikely in themselves to bring lasting peace to eastern DRC, they have a part to play in resolving the immediate conflict. This will allow the main focus to return to implementing the Peace, Security and Co-operation Framework for the Great Lakes—aimed at addressing the underlying causes of conflict in eastern DRC—with a dialogue between regional Governments to support it.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to encourage the government of (a) the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and (b) Rwanda towards the resumption of the peace talks between the DRC and the M23 rebel group.

Mark Simmonds: During the outbreak of the recent fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), I spoke to both the Special Representative of the Secretary General and the UN Special Envoy. I have also spoken to the Prime Minister of DRC and the Foreign Minister of Rwanda. I have encouraged restraint on all sides, and expressed my support for the work and leadership of the UN. I welcome the fact that talks between the DRC Government and the M23 are to restart. While these talks are unlikely in themselves to bring lasting peace to eastern DRC, they have a part to play in resolving the immediate conflict. This will allow the main focus to return to implementing the Peace, Security and Co-operation Framework for the Great Lakes—aimed at addressing the underlying causes of conflict in eastern DRC—with a dialogue between regional Governments to support it.

Dominican Republic

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the UK Ambassador to the Dominican Republic has requested a meeting with the (a) Attorney-General, (b) President of the Supreme Court and (c) President of the Dominican Republic to discuss the case of Nicole Reyes a constituent of the hon. Member for Cardiff South and Penarth.

Mark Simmonds: Our ambassador to the Dominican Republic wrote to the Attorney-General on 28 August regarding the detention of Nicole Reyes. He has requested a meeting to discuss the case.

Dominican Republic

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  if he will personally raise the case of Nicole Reyes a constituent of the hon. Member for Cardiff South and Penarth with his counterpart in the Dominican Republic;
	(2)  if the Prime Minister will raise the case of Nicole Reyes, a constituent of the hon. Member for Cardiff South and Penarth, who is detained illegally in the Dominican Republic with the President of the Dominican Republic.

Hugo Swire: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is fully aware of Ms Reyes's detention, and Ministers are being updated regularly. FCO officials are urging the relevant authorities, where appropriate, to address the concerns raised by Ms Reyes's lawyer about her continued detention. Most recently, on 28 August, HM ambassador to the Dominican Republic wrote to the Attorney-General, about Ms Reyes's detention and has requested a meeting to discuss the case.

Dominican Republic

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many UK citizens are being detained illegally in the Dominican Republic.

Hugo Swire: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is aware of 12 British citizens currently detained in the Dominican Republic following conviction. We are actively seeking clarification from the authorities in the Dominican Republican regarding the continued detention, of one other British national.

Female Genital Mutilation

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the practice of female genital mutilation.

David Lidington: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), has regular conversations with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues. The UK Government is clear that female genital mutilation is unacceptable wherever and whenever it occurs. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office works with the Home Office, the Department of Health and the Department for Education to prevent female genital mutilation.

Iran

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contacts there have been with representatives of the government of Iran during the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: Given the current level of diplomatic relations, there has been limited contact between the UK and Iran over the last 12 months. UK officials have met their Iranian counterparts at E3+3 nuclear talks, and in multilateral organisations. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), wrote and spoke to the previous Iranian Foreign Minister Salehi, and will now meet Foreign Minister Zarif later this month in New York. The Prime Minister has written to President Rouhani. The UK is ready to improve bilateral relations with Iran on a step by step and reciprocal basis.

Iran

Paul Goggins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Iranian Government about the murder of Mr Ataollah Rezvani on Saturday 24 August 2013; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: I am aware of reports of the murder of Mr Ataollah Rezvani—a member of the much persecuted Bahai faith in Iran. I called publicly for the Iranian Government to conduct a full investigation into his death on 30 August. I will be monitoring developments in this case closely.

Jerusalem

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether the UK has made representations to the Israeli authorities on the state of the Shu'fat refugee camp which is within the Jerusalem municipality; if he will make a statement on the health of the inhabitants of the camp; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: We are aware of the issue of sanitation in Shu'fat refugee camp. We have made no representations to the Israeli authorities on this subject.

Syria

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received of attacks on the historic Christian town of Maaloula by elements of Syrian opposition forces; whether groups affiliated to or members of the Syrian National Coalition (SNC) were involved in any such attacks; and what representations he has made to the SNC concerning toleration of religious minorities, including the Christian minority in Syria.

Alistair Burt: On Thursday 5 September, unconfirmed reports began to emerge of an attack on the regime-held town of Maaloula, in the Qalamoun hills some 35 miles north-east of Damascus. According to these reports, on the evening of Wednesday 4 September, the town was attacked by fighters from some extremist opposition factions—including the AQ-linked Jabhat al-Nusra (JAN), Ahrar al-Sham and Ahfad al-Rasul. These attacks were reportedly followed by regime shelling and air strikes. To date there have been no confirmed reports of civilians being killed or churches desecrated.
	We regularly engage with the Syrian National Coalition and the Supreme Military Council and continue to encourage them to respect all minority rights. The National Coalition has committed to reaching out to minorities and has made clear that there will be a place for all Syrians, regardless of ethnicity or religious belief, in a future Syria. At the Friends of Syria meeting in Istanbul on 20 April, the National Coalition set out clear commitments on reaching out to minorities and to guaranteeing the rights, interests and participation of all components of Syrian society. During the visit of Coalition President Al-Jarba on 5 September 2013, I emphasised that the coalition should continue to show their commitment to the safety of Christians, and other minorities.

JUSTICE

Electronic Tagging

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when he expects to (a) receive and (b) publish the report of the audit by PricewaterhouseCoopers into the electronic monitoring contracts held by G4S and Serco in England and Wales.

Jeremy Wright: The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling), received a preliminary audit report from PricewaterhouseCoopers in July, which informed his statement to the House on this subject on 11 July 2013, Official Report, columns 573-575. Auditors from PricewaterhouseCoopers are now in the process of auditing every other contract the Department holds with G4S and Serco. It would not be appropriate to publish audit reports at this stage, in order to avoid prejudicing any subsequent investigations. The Secretary of State will however continue to keep Parliament informed.

Electronic Tagging

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice when his Department will publish the findings of its inquiry into payments to G4S and Serco as part of the contracts for provision of electronic tagging.

Jeremy Wright: Auditors from PricewaterhouseCoopers are now in the process of auditing every other contract the Department holds with G4S and Serco. It would not be appropriate to publish audit reports at this stage, in order to avoid prejudicing any subsequent investigations. The Secretary of State will however continue to keep Parliament informed.

Legal Aid Scheme

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many applications for exceptional funding under section 10 of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 have been granted by the Legal Aid Agency since 1 April 2013.

Jeremy Wright: As of 27 June 2013, the Legal Aid Agency has granted exceptional funding in six cases.
	Exceptional funding is available where a case is excluded from the scope of civil legal aid as defined in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012.

Legal Aid Scheme

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice whether his estimate of potential savings in the legal aid budget assumes a potential increase in costs to the court system arising from additional numbers of litigants in person.

Jeremy Wright: Legal aid is paid for by taxpayers and resources are not limitless, especially in the current economic climate and we have had to make some tough decisions. The reforms to legal aid contained in the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012, implemented on 1 April 2013, safeguard legal aid to ensure legal advice is available for those who really need it.
	While the reforms may result in an increase in numbers of litigants in person (LiPs), it is not immediately evident that this will result in increased costs for the courts. The impact assessment which accompanied the Act set out a number of actions that the MOJ will, and is now, taking to monitor the impacts on the courts.
	The Ministry of Justice has established a Litigants in Person Programme Board which, as part of its responsibilities, monitors the impact of the legal aid changes in relation to litigants in person. The board includes members from Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) and the Judicial Office and will be considering the impact of the changes on the effective running of the courts and tribunals. There are no plans to prepare or publish a report of the board's work.
	In addition, Ministers and officials in the MOJ meet regularly with HMCTS and members of the judiciary and will receive regular feedback on the impact of the changes.
	Furthermore, the Ministry of Justice's Analytical Services team has commissioned a research project to develop the evidence base on the range of litigants in person in private law family cases, their behavioural drivers, support needs and their impact on the court system.
	The research includes two key elements:
	(1) a detailed analysis of all cases listed for a hearing in five target courts over a three-week data collection period, involving observation of the hearings, interviews with the parties and the professionals associated with the case and scrutiny of the court file; and
	(2) a local contextual study, designed to pick up the broader processes and perspectives relevant to litigants in person.
	The aim is to improve our understanding of the full range of cases involving litigants in person and how their needs are supported during the court process.
	Finally, between 9 April and 4 June 2013 the Government consulted on a number of proposals to reform legal aid via the ‘Transforming Legal Aid: delivering a more credible and efficient system’ consultation. We have been clear we must continue to bear down on the cost of legal aid, including nearly £1 billion of taxpayers' money spent on criminal legal aid a year, to ensure we are getting the best deal for the taxpayer. The impact assessments (IAs) published alongside the consultation paper contain the Government's initial assessment of the impact of the proposals, including the data on which the assessments were made. We noted a potential increase in litigants in person as a risk in the IAs, but the numbers were too uncertain to quantify and/or cost.

Legal Aid Scheme

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made, and on what evidential basis, of the effect of the removal from scope of (a) resettlement work and (b) work connected with security categorisation arising from his Transforming Legal Aid proposals; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: Between 9 April and 4 June 2013 the Government consulted on a number of proposals to reform legal aid via the “Transforming Legal Aid: delivering a more credible and efficient system” consultation. This included proposals to restrict the scope of legal aid for prison law. We have been clear we must continue to bear down on the cost of legal aid, including around £1 billion of taxpayers' money spent on criminal legal aid a year, to ensure we are getting the best deal for the taxpayer and to address questions of public confidence in the legal aid system.
	Respondents to the consultation raised a number of issues that will be addressed in the Government response, due to be published shortly.
	The impact assessments (IA) published alongside the consultation paper contain the Government's initial assessment of the impact of the proposals, including the data on which the assessments were made. Specific assessments of the impact on resettlement work and security categorisation decisions were not specifically distinguished in the IA that covered the proposals for prison law. Impact assessments will be published alongside the forthcoming response, setting out the Government's final assessment of the impact of the proposals to be implemented.

Legal Aid Scheme

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made, and on what evidential basis, of (a) the amount of time prisoners are likely to spend in custody and (b) the amount of specialist law experience that will be available following implementation of his Transforming Legal Aid proposals; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: Between 9 April and 4 June 2013 the Government consulted on a number of proposals to reform legal aid via the “Transforming Legal Aid: delivering a more credible and efficient system” consultation. This included proposals to restrict the scope of legal aid for prison law. We have been clear we must continue to bear down on the cost of legal aid, including around £1 billion of taxpayers' money spent on criminal legal aid a year, to ensure we are getting the best deal for the taxpayer and to address questions of public confidence in the legal aid system.
	The Impact Assessments (IAs) published alongside the consultation paper contain the Government's initial assessment of the impact of the proposals, including that for prison law, and contain data on which the assessments were made.
	Impact Assessments will be published alongside the forthcoming response, setting out the Government's final assessment of the impact of the proposals to be implemented, although it should be noted that the consultation did not propose any changes to current sentencing policy.
	We sought views from respondents to the consultation on the factors we should consider when designing the criteria for any future procurement process for criminal legal aid contracts and these are now being considered. We have no intention of lowering the quality standards from current levels and therefore will ensure any specialist skills or experience standards against which providers are currently assessed will as a minimum be maintained.

Legal Aid Scheme

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made, and on what evidential basis, of the cost implications of an increase in litigants in person in the court system as a result of his Transforming Legal Aid proposal; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: Between 9 April and 4 June 2013 the Government consulted on a number of proposals to reform legal aid via the “Transforming Legal Aid: delivering a more credible and efficient system” consultation . We have been clear we must continue to bear down on the cost of legal aid, including around £1 billion of taxpayers' money spent on criminal legal aid a year, to ensure we are getting the best deal for the taxpayer.
	The impact assessments (IAs) published alongside the consultation paper contain the Government's initial assessment of the impact of the proposals, including the data on which the assessments were made. We noted a potential increase in litigants in person as a risk in the IAs, but the numbers were too uncertain to quantify and/or cost. Updated impact assessments will be published alongside the forthcoming response, setting out the Government's final assessment of the impact of the proposals to be implemented.
	The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) has established a Litigants in Person Programme Board which is monitoring the impact of the legal aid changes in relation to litigants in person. The board includes members from Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS) and the judicial office and will be considering the impact of the changes on the effective running of the courts and tribunals.
	In addition Ministers and officials in the MOJ meet regularly with HMCTS and members of the judiciary and will receive regular feedback on the impact of the changes.

Legal Aid Scheme

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what assessment he has made, and on what evidential basis, of the costs associated with any increase in appeals and onwards challenges against refusals of funding, resulting from his Transforming Legal Aid proposals; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Wright: Between 9 April and 4 June 2013 the Government consulted on a number of proposals to reform legal aid via the “Transforming Legal Aid: delivering a more credible and efficient system” consultation. We have been clear we must continue to bear down on the cost of legal aid, to ensure we are getting the best deal for the taxpayer and to address questions of public confidence in the legal aid system.
	The Impact Assessments (IAs) published alongside the consultation paper contain the Government's initial assessment of the impact of the proposals, including the data on which the assessments were made. The Civil Credibility IA discusses appeals where it is relevant to do so. Updated Impact Assessments will be published alongside the forthcoming response, setting out the Government's final assessment of the impact of the proposals to be implemented.

Magistrates' Courts: Corby

Andy Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what recent assessment he has made of the future of Corby Magistrates' Court.

Helen Grant: The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, my right hon. Friend the Member for Epsom and Ewell (Chris Grayling), has made no recent assessment on the future of Corby magistrates court.
	HMCTS keeps the use of its estates under review to ensure it meets operational requirements. Any new proposals to close courts beyond this would be subject to consultation.

Oakwood Prison

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many contract failures there have been at HM Prison Oakwood since it opened; what those failures were; and what financial penalties were attached to them.

Jeremy Wright: One improvement notice was issued on 13 February 2013 requiring improvements to standards of cleanliness, levels of mandatory drugs testing, levels of purposeful activity, completion of the agreed searching programme, and staffing numbers.
	From the date on which services commenced at the prison (24 April 2012) until the last calendar day of the same year (31 December 2012) performance points were not applicable owing to the "bedding-in period" specified in the contract. From January 2013 to March 2013: the number of performance points applicable for this quarter is currently under review owing to a requirement to clarify the means of interpreting the data involved in calculating the number of points.
	From April 2013 to June 2013: performance data is not yet finalised for this quarter, so the number of performance points and the value of any associated financial penalties is currently unknown.
	For the purposes of this answer I interpret "contract failures" to mean "improvement notices" and "performance points" as these are the two primary mechanisms for responding to instances of performance below the contractually required standard.

Prisoners: Repatriation

Sadiq Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many foreign nationals were repatriated to their home countries in 2012.

Jeremy Wright: In 2012, 4,765 foreign national offenders were removed from the United Kingdom.

Prisons

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the likely income from the sale of HMP (a) Blundeston, (b) Dorchester, (c) Northallerton and (d) Reading;
	(2)  who owns the (a) building and (b) land at HMP (i) Blundeston, (ii) Dorchester, (iii) Northallerton and (iiv) Reading;
	(3)  what meetings (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have had with companies or organisations in relation to the sale or purchase of HM Prison (i) Blundeston, (ii) Dorchester, (iii) Northallerton and (iv) Reading.

Jeremy Wright: The Ministry of Justice owns the prison sites at Blundeston, Dorchester, Northallerton and Reading.
	Once the prisons have closed, consideration will be given to potential future uses and disposal of the sites. No meetings with companies or organisations have yet taken place.
	The market value of each of the sites has not been formally assessed. We seek to gain best value from the sale of all surplus assets.

Protection from Harassment Act 1997

Nick Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many post-charge bail applications were (a) refused, (b) granted with conditions and (c) granted unconditionally in cases where a defendant has been charged with an offence contrary to the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 in (i) 2012 and (ii) 2011;
	(2)  how many post-charge bail applications have been (a) refused, (b) granted with conditions and (c) granted unconditionally in cases where a defendant has been charged with an offence against the person, in a domestic context in (i) 2012 and (ii) 2011.

Helen Grant: The Ministry of Justice Court Proceedings Database holds information on defendants proceeded against, found guilty and sentenced for criminal offences in England and Wales. Information collated centrally does not contain the result of a bail application. All courts will have a record of the result of individual bail applications. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost by manually reviewing court records. Additionally it is not possible to identify domestic violence cases from other offences involving violence. This database holds information on offences provided by the statutes under which proceedings are brought but not the specific circumstances of each case.

Protection from Harassment Act 1997

Edward Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for the Home Department, (b) the Attorney-General, (c) the Lord Chief Justice and (d) Ministers and officials in his Department on further training for (i) police forces, (ii) the Crown Prosecution Service (iii) the Probation Service, (iv) magistrates and (v) judges on the application of sections 2A and 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Helen Grant: The offences under sections 2A and 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 are the responsibility of the Home Office.
	The Secretary of State for Justice is fully signed up to the Government Action Plan to End Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) which includes an undertaking to continue to raise awareness of stalking to improve professionals' response.
	Since the creation of the new stalking offences the Ministry of Justice has supported the Home Office in the development and delivery of training for practitioners and will continue to do so in this and other areas.

Protection from Harassment Act 1997

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what plans he has to issue revised sentencing guidelines in respect of new offences under sections 2A and 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997.

Helen Grant: The new stalking offences introduced by this Government are designed to address specific stalking behaviour as opposed to harassment more generally. The new offence under section 4A of the Protection from Harassment Act 1997 covers a course of conduct which causes serious alarm or distress which has a substantial adverse effect on the day-to-day activities of the victim. This recognises the overall emotional and psychological harm that stalking may cause to victims, even where there is no explicit fear of violence. The maximum penalty for the section 2A offence is six months' imprisonment and for the section 4A offence the maximum penalty is five years' imprisonment.
	The independent Sentencing Council is responsible for producing sentencing guidelines and it will be for the Council to consider the issue of new or revised guidelines covering these offences.

Rape: Victim Support Schemes

Stephen McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice pursuant to the answer of 20 June 2013, Official Report, columns 653-5W, on rape: victim support schemes, how much was allocated from the Combined Fund (Sexual Violence) to Birmingham; and what projects in Birmingham were funded from that fund.

Helen Grant: The 2010-11 Combined Fund (Sexual Violence) provided £50,000 of funding to the Rape and Sexual Violence Project in Birmingham.
	Up to 2015, this Government has ring-fenced nearly £40 million to fund specialist local domestic and sexual violence support services and £1.5 million for victims of gang-related sexual violence.

Trials: Human Rights

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many cases were pursued in UK courts under the Human Rights Act 1998 in the last year; how many such cases were pursued by (a) prisoners and (b) foreign nationals; and how many of those cases were successful.

Helen Grant: A claim under the Human Rights Act 1998 could arise in any proceedings before a court or tribunal, in addition to stand alone claims. No information is collected on such claims and therefore the information requested is not available.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animal Products: Waste Disposal

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which UK companies are licensed to deal with category 1 waste; and how many tonnes of category 1 waste (a) in total and (b) from abattoirs in the UK each such company dealt with in each of the last three years.

David Heath: Category 1 waste is animal by-product waste as defined in the EU Animal By-product Regulations 1069/2009. This includes specified risk material from abattoirs, international catering waste, carcasses of pet and zoo animals, carcasses of ruminants at the point of disposal and certain other animal by-products.
	The vast majority of category 1 material will be sent for rendering or incineration. A list of approved rendering and incineration plants, including those that can handle category 1 material, is maintained by Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA) and can be found at:
	http://www.defra.gov.uk/ahvla-en/disease-control/abp/premises/
	AHVLA does not keep a list of companies that exclusively handle category 1 waste.
	Other businesses that may handle category 1 animal by-products include hauliers, certain licensed landfill sites, approved handling premises and plants producing technical products.
	AHVLA does not keep a record of weights of category 1 material dealt with by each company.
	Additionally, the Environment Agency issues permits to allow category 1 ABP waste to be disposed or treated by incineration or rendering.
	Incineration
	The Environment Agency permitted five incineration facilities in England at the end of 2012 authorised to burn only ABP wastes. These were:
	Ancillary Components Ltd, Rushden
	EPR Thetford Ltd, Thetford
	Granox Ltd, Widnes
	Fibrogen Ltd, Flixborough
	University of Bristol Field Station, Langford.
	
		
			 Total tonnage burnt at these incinerators between 2010 and 2012 
			  Tonnage incinerated 
			 2010 826,893 
			 2011 786,870 
			 2012 739,497 
			 Note: This data is for all categories of ABP. We cannot distinguish category 1 ABPs alone from our records. 
		
	
	Abattoirs and/or renderers
	The Environment Agency permitted seven facilities in England at the end of 2012 authorised to render ABP wastes.
	Some facilities are abattoirs and/or renderers and as such permitted maximum quantities accepted may be in tonnes of ABP waste or numbers of animals. One or the other is given in the following table:
	
		
			 Maximum tonnage or number of animals allowed to be accepted under the permit 
			 Company Tonnage/number 
			 Anglo Beef Processors, Shrewsbury 90,000 cattle 
			 Demulder & Son Ltd, Nuneaton 250,000 tonnes 
			 Granox Ltd, Widnes 150,000 tonnes 
			 John Pointon & Sons Ltd No limit 
			 Neerock Ltd, Colne 35,900 tonnes 
			 Neerock Ltd, Spalding 50 tonnes per day 
			 Sun Valley Foods Ltd, Hereford 900,000 chickens per week 
		
	
	Further work would be required to be carried out to collate actual annual quantities accepted over the last three years as this information is not held centrally.
	Abattoirs
	The Environment Agency permits 65 facilities for slaughtering animals with a capacity of >50 tonnes per day in England.
	Further work would need to be carried out to collate the data on the quantity of ABP waste produced by the facilities as this information is not held centrally.

Animal Products: Waste Disposal

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many tonnes of category 1 waste was produced by abattoirs in the UK in each of the last three years.

David Heath: The keeping of records of quantities of each category of animal by-product despatched from an establishment is the responsibility of the individual Food Business Operator (FBO). Food Standards Agency (FSA) staff monitor the FBO's compliance with the requirements of the Animal By-Products Regulations (EC) No 1069/2009 but there is no requirement for the FSA to maintain records of everything that leaves the premises.
	While the FSA does monitor quantities of specified risk material produced in bovine and ovine slaughterhouses at a local level, this information is used to determine frequency of inspections and is not held centrally.
	There are no specific Category 2 rendering plants now in the UK meaning that all waste leaving plants is either Category 1 or Category 3. Category 1 material is therefore likely to contain Category 2 by-products that cannot be included in Category 3 collection systems.

Animal Products: Waste Disposal

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the most common final end uses of category 1 waste after processing were in each of the last three years.

David Heath: The most common final use of the meat and bone meal (MBM) and tallow produced by processing category 1 waste is likely to be burning for heat and electricity. Some category 1 tallow may also be used in the production of biodiesel.
	Processing plants are approved for the purpose by Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA). AHVLA does not retain records to verify the final end use from all processing plants.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Tom Blenkinsop: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what proportion of badgers exterminated during the current pilot cull the humaneness of extermination will be measured and recorded.

David Heath: The cull is compliant with the Bern Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats, and the hon. Member's reference to extermination is therefore inappropriate. Humaneness monitoring will be undertaken in accordance with a protocol developed with advice from statistical experts and approved by the independent experts panel set up by DEFRA to oversee the development of scientifically robust and policy-relevant monitoring protocols. The results of this monitoring will be published after the pilot culls have been completed.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much of the £500,000 allocated by his Department for badger vaccination has been distributed to farmers in the cull areas to date.

David Heath: The Badger Vaccination Fund (£250,000 p.a.) has been open for two years. Only vaccination schemes in the pilot cull areas were eligible to apply in year one, when £6,302.80 was distributed. In year two DEFRA broadened the criteria to include the whole of the high risk TB area and publicised this particularly among wildlife groups with an interest in badger vaccination. A number of grants have already been awarded and others are under consideration but the amount distributed will only be known after the vaccination has taken place and claims submitted.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many monitors have been employed by Natural England to monitor the humaneness of the pilot badger culls.

David Heath: Natural England is responsible for ensuring the licence conditions are complied with. Humaneness observations, which are being conducted independently of Natural England, are being carried out on a statistically significant number of occasions.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what date the findings of the trial badger cull will be published.

David Heath: A report to Ministers on the outcome of pilot culls will be published after the culls have been completed and following a review of the results by an independent panel of experts.

Food: Prices

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health on developing a food pricing policy that tackles food poverty alongside public health concerns.

David Heath: I recently met with the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health to ensure a coherent approach across Government. This includes work to provide consumers with the information with which to make choices about healthy, sustainable and affordable diets.
	Through the Public Health Responsibility Deal, the Government is working with business and others to encourage and enable people to adopt a healthier diet, and through schemes such as Love Food Hate Waste helping both businesses and individuals make healthy and affordable choices and save money.
	We also work internationally to promote transparency, open global markets and a competitive domestic market to help producers and retailers offer the best prices to consumers.

Food: Prices

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government is taking to help make fresh fruit and vegetables more affordable.

David Heath: We work across Government to provide consumers with the information with which to make choices about healthy, sustainable and affordable diets.
	The School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme gives free fruit and vegetables to over 2 million children, and through 'Healthy Start' the Government provides a nutritional safety net, in a way that encourages healthy eating, to more than half a million pregnant women and children under four years old in very low income and disadvantaged families throughout the UK. Through the Public Health Responsibility Deal the Government is working with business and others to encourage and enable people to eat more fruit and vegetables.
	We also work internationally to promote transparency, open global markets and a competitive domestic market to help producers and retailers offer the best prices to consumers.

Livestock: Transport

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reason an Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency inspection at Dover port found a non-compliance issue with a lorry carrying sheep from travelling on the Joline to France on 4 September 2013; and whether that lorry had been inspected at point of loading under the supervised loading scheme.

David Heath: The vehicle in question was not supervised at loading and was therefore subject to an inspection by the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency at Dover port, which identified vehicle approval irregularities and breaches of the technical rules set out in Annex I to Council Regulation (EC) 1/2005. Consequently, it was prohibited from continuing its journey.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Business: Billing

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many officials of his Department are working on plans to introduce a fine for late payment.

Michael Fallon: As indicated in my previous answer given to the hon. Member on 11 September 2013, Official Report, columns 738-39W, officials are still considering a range of options to tackle ongoing late payment problems.

Conditions of Employment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills how many staff (a) directly employed and (b) indirectly employed through other companies by his Department were employed on zero-hours contracts in each of the last 10 years.

Jo Swinson: The Department for Business Innovation and Skills (BIS) does not employ anyone directly on a zero-hours contract. The information cannot be provided for employees of other companies without disproportionate cost.

Conditions of Employment

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills which stakeholders have met Ministers or officials of his Department to date as part of his Department's review of zero-hours contracts; on what date and with whom each such meeting took place; which stakeholders have submitted written evidence to that review; and on what date each such submission was received.

Jo Swinson: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to him on 6 September 2013, Official Report, column 535W.
	The review on zero hours was a fact finding exercise officials undertook to understand and explore zero hours contracts. As this was not a call for evidence nor a consultation, stakeholders did not submit written evidence.

Cosmetics: Labelling

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what advice his Department has issued to (a) retailers and (b) importers on the correct implementation for cosmetic products of the mandatory origin labelling requirements of EU Regulation 1223/2009.

Jo Swinson: No specific advice has been issued to retailers and importers of cosmetics, as country of origin labelling was specified in the previous regulation, the Cosmetic Products (Safety) Regulations 2008, guidance for which highlighted this requirement.

Industry

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills with reference to his speech of 11 September 2012 at Imperial College London, whether he still plans to publish specific sector strategy documents for (a) the digital and creative industries and (b) advanced manufacturing.

Michael Fallon: I refer the hon. Member to the written statement made yesterday, 11 September 2013, Official Report, columns 49-50WS.
	The Government set out its approach to industrial strategy in September 2012. In the last 12 months we have published strategies in eleven sectors where our economic analysis demonstrates we can have the biggest impact. A number of these strategies focus on advanced manufacturing. The Information Economy Strategy covers the digital sector. Beyond this our approach is about supporting all sectors through a spectrum of support. This includes assistance to the creative sector through the work of Creative Industries Council.

Offshore Industry

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will seek assurances from (a) employers and (b) licensed operators in the UK continental shelf that offshore workers who refuse to board Super Puma helicopters will not be blacklisted as a result.

Jo Swinson: Any form of blacklisting is illegal.
	With regards to the health and safety of offshore workers, the Government provides health and safety legislation and employment legislation as a framework for employers to operate in.
	Employees are entitled by law to refuse to undertake work that is not safe without fear of disciplinary action.
	Employers have a duty of care to their employees, requiring them to take all steps reasonably possible to ensure their health, safety and wellbeing.
	It is for employers to ensure they are acting within the law and for the regulators and employment tribunal to determine if the employer has broken the law.

Offshore Industry

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will discuss with the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change brokering a formal agreement between employers' representatives and trades unions representing the offshore workforce on regular trade union access to employees in the offshore workplace.

Jo Swinson: It is largely a matter for individual employers to decide whether they wish to recognise a trade union for collective bargaining purposes. Most collective bargaining in this country takes place because employers have voluntarily agreed to recognise a trade union and bargain with it. The Department has not received any representations indicating a need for Government intervention with regard to trade union access to offshore workers.
	Agreements for recognition, and what these recognition agreements contain, including trade union facility time and access to members who work at different locations, including offshore as in this case, are a matter for the parties concerned. The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) has produced helpful practical guidance to assist both employers and trade unions in this area. The ACAS Code of ‘Practice on time off for trade union duties and activities’ and its guidance ‘Trade union representation in the workplace: a guide to managing time off, training and facilities’ are available online at:
	http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=2391
	The Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) stands ready to assist the parties to resolve any disagreement or dispute, should they wish it.

Offshore Industry

Ian Lavery: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills when his Department last conducted a review of employment rights in the offshore oil and gas sector.

Jo Swinson: The Department reviewed the legislation relating to offshore workers as part of the Government's Red Tape Challenge to reduce unnecessary regulation. As a result we will be simplifying the secondary legislation, which includes the employment rights in the offshore oil and gas sector, by summer 2014.

Supermarkets: Prices

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will make an assessment of the extent to which supermarkets offering discounts on bulk purchases benefits consumers on low budgets.

Jo Swinson: The Office of Fair Trading has in the last year been looking at supermarket pricing promotions to ensure they are fair and meaningful and last year eight supermarkets agreed to a set of principles covering these:
	http://www.oft.gov.uk/news-and-updates/press/2012/116-12
	In its market investigation into the supply of groceries in the UK completed in 2008, the Competition Commission looked at the competition implications of below-cost selling and promotions. It concluded that these did not adversely affect competition or mislead consumers and could benefit shoppers—although without examining the effect on any specific category of customer. The CC noted that temporary promotions on some products to attract consumers and increase total sales (commonly referred to as loss leading) may constitute efficient pricing for grocery retailers and that such competition between grocery retailers may benefit consumers by reducing the average price for a basket of products.

Trade Missions

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what the (a) date and (b) location was of each overseas trade mission to promote British exports in which UK Trade and Industry was involved in each month since May 2010; and which of those trade missions were attended by each Minister.

Michael Fallon: The information requested will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

TRANSPORT

Bus Services

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what support he will provide for local bus services; and if he will make a statement.

Norman Baker: The coalition Government already makes substantial sums of money available to support local bus services. We are also implementing various reforms to make this more effective. In July we announced arrangements to give local councils more say over how bus service operators grant should be spent in their areas. And, we aim to incentivise more partnership working through Better Bus Areas.

Road Funding

Jake Berry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effect of the 2013 spending review on road funding; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Hammond: The Government will invest over £28 billion in national and local roads between 2015-16 and 2020-21. This includes £10.7 billion for major national road projects, £4.9 billion for local major projects and more than £12 billion for maintenance, with nearly £6 billion for repairs to local roads and £6 billion for maintenance of the strategic road network, including resurfacing 80% of it. This step change in investment will fund at least 26 further major road projects, leading to more than 221 additional lane miles on the busiest motorways.

Maritime Sector

Caroline Nokes: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans the Government has to promote shipping, ports and the maritime business sector in the UK.

Stephen Hammond: London International Shipping Week is taking place this week. The Government have given full support to this inaugural event to showcase UK maritime business—a growing sector which is already worth up to £14 billion a year to the economy and provides 263,000 jobs. We will continue to work closely with the maritime industry to ensure the UK holds and builds on its leading global position in a world of increasingly strong competition.

Croydon Tramlink

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions his Department has had with the Mayor of London on the extension of the South London Tramlink to Sutton town centre.

Norman Baker: The Secretary of State for Transport discusses a wide range of transport issues with the Mayor of London on a regular basis. The extension of the South London Tramlink to Sutton Town Centre is entirely a devolved matter for the London Borough of Sutton Council and the Mayor, but I always welcome consideration of new light rail infrastructure.

Cycling

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to increase funding to encourage the uptake of cycling at the level of the European average.

Norman Baker: The Coalition Government's level of funding for cycling compares very favourably with other European countries. In this Parliament we have allocated £3.50 (€4.20) per person per year to cycling (based on £277 million invested since 2010 directly for cycling and the £600 million allocated for the Local Sustainable Transport Fund where 94 out of 96 projects contain a cycling element). For example, research by the European Cyclists' Federation states that national funding in Denmark is only around €4 and around €3 in the Netherlands—two countries recognised for their commitment to cycling.
	Since February 2012 the Government has made an additional £159 million available for cycling infrastructure in England. As part of this, through the £77 million Cycling Ambition Grants, eight cities across England will receive an investment in cycling in excess of £10 per head per year. Along with local contributions, this equates to £18 per head of population across the funding period. City areas that will benefit are: Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, Birmingham, West of England, Newcastle, Cambridge, Norwich and Oxford.

Cycling

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking to support cycling.

Norman Baker: The Coalition Government has done a huge amount to encourage and support cycling in England. Since 2010, we have provided over £277m of funding directly for cycling, almost twice that provided by the previous administration, and have allocated £600m to the Local Sustainable Transport Fund, where 94 out of the 96 projects include a cycling element. I champion cycling within Government and work closely with local authorities, cycling groups and Ministers across Whitehall to encourage more people to cycle more safely, more often.

Great Western Railway Line

Rob Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what progress his Department has made on procuring new rolling stock for the Great Western Line; and if he will make a statement.

Patrick McLoughlin: The Department has let a contract to Agility Trains to supply 369 vehicles from its Intercity Express Programme for long-distance Great Western services. These vehicles will be introduced to passenger service during 2017 and 2018. The Department is also in dialogue with First Great Western to procure electric vehicles for Thames Valley commuter services from 2016. These vehicles may be new-build or cascaded from elsewhere on the national network.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he plans to launch the re-run consultation on compensation for those affected by the High Speed 2 scheme; and when he expects a new discretionary scheme to be in place.

Simon Burns: The consultation on long-term property compensation for Phase One of HS2 has been launched today. The consultation will run until 4 December 2013 and, following a period of analysis and consideration, the Government expects to put in place any resulting discretionary schemes by summer 2014.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Andrea Leadsom: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many responses were received to (a) the draft Environmental Statement and (b) the Design Refinement Consultation for phase one of the High Speed 2 scheme.

Simon Burns: The draft Environmental Statement consultation received 20,944 valid responses and the Design Refinement consultation received 869. Summary reports outlining the range of issues raised in responses to both consultations will follow in due course.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport when the consultation on compensation for Phase 1 of High Speed 2 will be issued by his Department.

Simon Burns: The consultation on long-term compensation measures for Phase One of HS2 has been launched today. The consultation will run until 4 December 2013.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Charlotte Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the (a) economic and (b) transport benefits to the West and South West of High Speed 2.

Simon Burns: No specific assessment has been made of the direct benefits to the West and South West of High Speed 2. Nevertheless, High Speed 2 will provide enhanced connectivity to this region in Phase 1 through the link to the West Coast Mainline and hub at Old Oak Common. Phase 2 will provide further connectivity enhancements, particularly to passengers from the south and south west of the country wishing to travel north. There is also, potential for more commuter, freight and local services to this area from capacity released on the existing network.
	HS2 Ltd recently published a report they had commissioned from KPMG evaluating the potential impact of HS2 on productivity and business location. The report estimates that in areas of the country not in the immediate vicinity of the HS2 route (which includes the areas south and south west of HS2 as well as the areas north of Leeds and Manchester), HS2 could generate productivity benefits of between £5.0 billion and £7.0 billion per annum.

Large Goods Vehicles

Charlie Elphicke: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what consideration he has given to banning lorries from overtaking on motorways and dual carriageways.

Stephen Hammond: There are no plans for generalised overtaking bans on motorways and dual carriageways.
	An overtaking ban was installed for 18 months on two miles of the westbound A20 dual carriageway leading uphill away from Dover. The experimental A20 ban was monitored, but there was no evidence of discernable benefits and so it was discontinued in September 2011. The Highways Agency continues to monitor this area for any changes in circumstances that may warrant a review.

Motor Vehicles: Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will visit Northern Ireland to meet the hon. Member for North Down and other local politicians to discuss the retention of vehicle licensing services in Northern Ireland.

Stephen Hammond: I have met with the relevant Northern Ireland Executive Minister for the Environment twice to discuss the proposals in the consultation on the future delivery of vehicle registration and licensing services in Northern Ireland. Discussions have also taken place between the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland and her counterparts from the Northern Ireland Executive about these proposals.
	In addition, DVLA officials have carried out a number of workshops throughout the consultation process to encourage Northern Ireland customers and stakeholders to respond with their views on the proposals in the consultation. The DVLA's Chief Executive met with the DVA's Chief Executive last week, along with a delegation from the Northern Ireland Public Services Alliance (trade union). I do not therefore see any value in my visiting Northern Ireland at this time. However, I am always happy to discuss any concerns that hon. Members may have. Indeed, this morning at Transport Questions in the House I committed to meet with the hon. Members for North Antrim (Ian Paisley) and East Londonderry (Mr Campbell) to discuss this very issue.

Railways: Franchises

John Woodcock: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will place copies of (a) the proposed revision to the passenger service requirement for the Transpennine franchise from May 2014 and (b) the responses received from consultees in the Library.

Simon Burns: The Passenger Service Requirement (PSR) from May 2014 is contained within the Transpennine Express Franchise Agreement. This is a public document available via the DfT website at:
	https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/229572/transpennine-express-franchise-agreement.pdf
	The changes to the PSR were subject to consultation with transport authorities during the summer. The consultation period of 12 weeks ended on 31 July.
	The consultation on the PSR is the sole responsibility of First Transpennine Express, who are not obliged to forward the responses to the DfT. First Transpennine Express have made amendments to their timetable plans in light of stakeholders' comments. First Transpennine Express are reviewing the responses received by the consultation deadline and checking with respondents to ascertain what information can be placed in the Library.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Castes

Richard Fuller: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what meetings her Department has had regarding the caste legislation introduction programme and timeline.

Helen Grant: Since the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Bill received Royal Assent on 25 April, Officials from the Government Equalities Office have attended meetings with both the Equality and Human Rights Commission and, at their request, the Anti-Caste Legislation Campaign.

Television: Licensing

Philip Hollobone: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities if she will discuss with (a) the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and (b) the Ministry of Justice the proportion of those prosecuted for television licence non-payment who are women.

Helen Grant: The Government Equalities Office (GEO) became part of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport in September 2012 and hence issues relating to equality are the responsibility of the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (who is also the Minister for Women and Equalities).
	The interpretation and application of the legislation on TV licensing are the responsibility of the BBC, which operates independently of Government. The day to day administration and enforcement of the licence fee system are undertaken by TV Licensing, which acts as agents for the Corporation. TV Licensing do not hold gender specific data on prosecutions.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Accountancy

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much her Department has spent on accountants in each year since 2010.

Hugh Robertson: The expenditure on accountants for the financial years 2010 to 11 and 2012 to 13 is as follows:
	
		
			  Total (£) 
			 2010 to 11 981,787 
			 2011 to 12 1,245,268 
			 2012 to 13 1,408,239 
		
	
	The costs above include the staff costs of qualified accountants, employed by the Department, interim staff and accountancy consultants. They exclude any general management consultancy costs, the analysis of which would involve disproportionate cost to extract to cost of accountancy advice.
	The increased costs in the financial years 2011 to 12 and 2012 to 13 arise from the additional work required to implement HM Treasury's “Clear line of sight” requirements to produce consolidated departmental accounts that comply with the appropriate International Financial Reporting Standards.

Air Travel

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many individual domestic air flights were undertaken within Great Britain by representatives of (a) her Department and (b) its associated public bodies in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what the cost to the public purse of each such flight was.

Hugh Robertson: The Department undertook 116 domestic flights within Great Britain in 2012 to 13 at a total cost of £19,587.
	This is broken down as follows:
	Less than £100—46 flights at a total cost of £2,661.14
	Between £100 and £249—46 flights at a total cost of £7,508.59
	Between £250 and £499—22 flights at a total cost of £8,320.68
	More than £500—2 flights at a total cost of £1,097.28
	All flights were economy class. The Department does not hold this information centrally for its associated bodies.

Broadband: Rural Areas

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent progress she has made on her rural broadband strategy; and if she will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: 39 local broadband contracts have now been signed under our rural broadband programme, representing over 95% of the total project funding allocations. A further three projects are due to sign contracts in September. 10 projects have already provided their first superfast broadband connections, including North Yorkshire where over 50,000 premises have been passed to date, and delivery is now moving ahead elsewhere across the country.

Christmas Cards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much her private ministerial office spent on sending Christmas cards in 2012.

Hugh Robertson: No money was spent on Christmas cards in the Secretary of State's office.

Cycling

Margaret Ritchie: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what funding her Department provides for cycling infrastructure development.

Hugh Robertson: As part of our commitment to a create a lasting sporting legacy from the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, we are investing considerably in cycling.
	Between 2009 and 2013, Sport England has invested over £21 million in velodromes and BMX track cycling facilities. This included £10.5 million invested into the London Velodrome on the Queen Elizabeth Park to ensure it is open to the community following the London 2012 Games. Through Sport England, we are investing £32 million in British cycling for the period 2013 to 17 to get more people cycling and help talented cyclists fulfil their potential.
	UK Sport is investing £30.5 million into Olympic cycling and £6.7 million into Paralympic cycling for the Rio 2016 cycle (2013 to 17) to ensure that British cyclists on the sport's World Class Programme have access to the best facilities, coaches and medical support, enabling them to compete and win at the highest level as they aim to emulate the success of the British teams at London 2012. We are also supporting the delivery of the Yorkshire Grand Depart and Stage 3 of the 2014 Tour de France.

Lotteries

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what recent assessment she has made of the minimum amount of proceeds that society lotteries must return to good causes;
	(2)  when she plans to publish the Government's response to its consultation on the amount society lotteries give to good causes.

Hugh Robertson: DCMS will be publishing a consultation on society lotteries, which will include consideration of the minimum amount of proceeds that a society lottery has to return to good causes, in the autumn. The Government response to the consultation will be published after the consultation has closed, which is likely to be in early 2014.

Lotteries

Jim Sheridan: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport for what reason the charity lottery sector was not included in the most recent triennial review of the Gambling Act 2005; and what plans she has to provide for a review of revenues and prizes in the charity lottery sector.

Hugh Robertson: The recent Triennial Review was limited to Gaming Machine Stake and Prize Limits, and so the charity lottery sector was not within its remit. DCMS will be publishing a consultation on society lotteries, which will include consideration of the minimum amount of proceeds that a society lottery has to return to good causes, in the autumn. The limits on society lottery prizes will not be within the remit of the consultation.

National Lottery: Ashfield

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much National Lottery funding was given to organisations in Ashfield constituency in each of the last five years.

Hugh Robertson: Details of Lottery grants, awarded by parliamentary constituency, since Lottery funding began, can be found on the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's (DCMS) Lottery Grants Database, which is searchable at:
	www.lottery.culture.gov.uk
	and uses information on Lottery grants, supplied by the Lottery distributors.

Pay

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will publish a table showing the salaries of the chief executive of each organisation that receives more than 50% of its revenue from her Department.

Hugh Robertson: The following table shows the salaries of the chief executive of each arm's length body that receives more than 50% of its revenue from the Department, including national lottery money based on figures included in their 2012 to 13 annual reports and accounts. In some cases, this will show a range, rather than a single figure:
	
		
			 Arm's length body Chief executive's salary (£) 
			 Arts Council England 155,000 
			 British Film Institute (1)135,000 to 140,000 
			 British Library (1)140,000 to 145,000 
			 English Heritage (1)161,000 
			 Equality and Human Rights Commission 125,000 to 130,000 
			 Geffrye Museum 64,383 
			 Horniman Public Museum and Public Park Trust 95,000 to 100,000 
			 Imperial War Museum 130000 to 135,000 
			 National Gallery 140,000 
			 National Heritage Memorial Fund 130,000 to 135,000 
			 National Lottery Commission 110,000 to 115,000 
			 National Museums Liverpool (1)105,000 to 110,000 
			 Natural History Museum 180,000 to 185,000 
			 Ofcom 276,066 
			 Public Lending Right 63,890 
			 Royal Armouries 95,000 
		
	
	
		
			 Royal Museums Greenwich 105,000 to 110,000 
			 S4C 132,000 
			 Science Museum Group (1)130,000 
			 Sir John Soane's Museum 65,000 
			 Sport England 145,000 to 150,000 
			 Sports Grounds Safety Authority 65,000 
			 Wallace Collection 85,000 to 90,000 
			 UK Anti to Doping (1)90,000 to 95,000 
			 UK Sport 130,000 to 135,000 
			 Victoria and Albert Museum 140,000 to 145,000 
			 Visit Britain 145,000 to 150,000 
			 Visit England 135,000 to 140,000 
			 (1 )These figures include annual performance bonuses, which it is not possible to separate out.

Publishing

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much her Department has spent in each of the last three years on hard copy printing of documents for external audiences.

Hugh Robertson: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport does not hold data on the specific information requested. Expenditure, relating to all charges for printing and publications for external audiences, is as follows:
	
		
			 Account name—publications and printing 
			  £ 
			 2010 to 11 58,821.30 
			 2011 to 12 138,201.83 
			 2012 to 13 122,161.90 
		
	
	The reason for the increase in expenditure in 2011 to 12 is due to a number of additional publications, produced as part of the Department's reporting on the London 2012 Olympics and Paralympic Games. Information on 2012 to 13 includes costs for the Government Equalities Office (GEO), which was transferred to DCMS from the Home Office in the 2012 to 13 financial year. Previous years data for GEO is contained within the accounts of the Home Office.

Standards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when her Department plans to publish its Quarterly Data Summary for the first quarter of 2012 to 13.

Hugh Robertson: DCMS is continuing to work proactively; substantially improving the collection of Management Information across the department for Quarterly Data Summary reporting. DCMS financial spend data for 2012 to 13, including the first quarter, is already available online through the Government Interrogating Spending Tool, in line with other Government Departments.

Television

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many flat screen televisions have been purchased by her Department in the last 24 months; and what the cost to the public purse was of such purchases.

Hugh Robertson: The Department has not purchased any flat screen TVs in the past 24 months.

Travel

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much her Department spent on travel for departmental officials in each of the last five years.

Hugh Robertson: The total amounts spent on travel and subsistence, for departmental officials, in each of the last five years, are set out in the table. Due to the conventions used in the Department's accounting system it is not possible to identify the travel element separately from accommodation and subsistence costs.
	
		
			  Value (£) 
			 2008 to 09 380,209 
			 2009 to 10 260,269 
			 2010 to 11 110,631 
			 2011 to 12 338,227 
			 2012 to 13 451,313 
		
	
	These figures include all official travel costs for the Government Olympic Executive, during preparations for and delivery of London 2012. Figures for 2012 to 13 and 2011 to 12 include functions transferred from the Department for Business Innovation and Skills from 2011 to 12 and functions of the Government Equalities Office transferred to DCMS in 2012 to 13, but data for earlier years is not available for either of these areas. The effect of these machinery of government changes was to increase costs by £125,096 in 2011 to 12 and £152,566 in 2012 to 13.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Absenteeism

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the rates of staff (a) absence and (b) sickness absence in his Department in each of the past five years were; and what the departmental targets were in each case.

Gregory Barker: Staff who joined DECC before 31 March 2013 are entitled to 31½ days annual leave per year; staff who joined after that date are entitled to a maximum of 30 days annual leave per year. There are no targets on how much leave will be taken. DECC does not hold centrally information on annual leave taken and to answer this question would incur disproportionate costs.
	The following table shows the number of days sickness absence recorded for DECC.
	
		
			 As at 1 April to 31 March each year Average working days lost 
			 2009-10 4.4 
			 2010-11 3.1 
			 2011-12 3.6 
			 2012-13 2.7 
		
	
	DECC has a target to ensure the annual working days lost figure remains below the civil service average, which it has met.

Buildings

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what refurbishments to his Department's buildings have been carried out in the last 24 months; and at what cost.

Gregory Barker: DECC have not undertaken any large scale building refurbishment work in the last 24 months but has carried out smaller refurbishment projects. Primarily to redecorate after wear and tear or to increase the capacity and efficiency of the estate. These are listed below:
	
		
			 Item Cost(1) (£) 
			 Creation of office 10,278.67 
			 Basement decoration works 2,778.05 
			 Various shower installations to improve facilities for cyclists, etc. 104,127.6 
			 Decoration works 10,064.04 
			 Carpet tile installation 3,141.43 
			 Decoration works 58,198.9 
			 Decoration works 11,913.52 
			 Kitchen replacements 68,806.01 
			 Flooring replacements 20,166.02 
			 Skirting and decoration 2,446.2 
			 Decoration works 10,826.52 
			 Various basement plant rooms floor painting 18,479.00 
			 Total 321,225.96 
			 (1) Including VAT.

Conditions of Employment

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many staff (a) directly employed and (b) indirectly employed through other companies by his Department were employed on zero-hours contracts in each of the last 10 years.

Gregory Barker: DECC was created in October 2008. DECC has not employed staff either directly or indirectly on zero-hour contracts from 2008 to the present day.

Employment Agencies

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many staff working in his Department are employed through agencies using the Swedish Derogation; how many staff receive less than the living wage; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: The Department has received assurance from the agencies providing contract staff that they do not use the Swedish Derogation for employees they place with DECC and that no members of staff are earning less than the London or national living wage guidelines.
	Facilities management and catering services are provided to DECC through contracts managed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA). There are 21 staff based primarily in DECC buildings working for the facilities management contractor and six working for the catering contractor who receive less than the London living wage.

Green Deal Scheme: Ashfield

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many people in Ashfield constituency have received the Green Deal to date.

Gregory Barker: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 5 July 2013, Official Report, column 823W, to the hon. Member for Liverpool, Wavertree (Luciana Berger), which referred to a table placed in the Libraries of the House showing the number of Green Deal Assessments by parliamentary constituency up to 31 March 2013. Up to 31 March 2013 there were 10 Green Deal Assessments in the Ashfield constituency.
	Numbers of assessments by parliamentary constituency, up to 30 June 2013, will be included in the next quarterly Green Deal/ECO statistical release which will be published on 19 September. Subsequent quarterly releases are also likely to provide more detailed breakdowns on Green Deal Plans.

Publications

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how much his Department has spent in each of the last three years on hard copy printing of documents for external audiences.

Gregory Barker: In common with other Government Departments, the Department for Energy and Climate Change publishes documents communicating and reporting on a wide range of policies and initiatives, including consultation documents and the Department's Annual Report.
	However, the information on expenditure is not centrally held and it would only be possible to gather this information at disproportionate cost.

Satellite Broadcasting

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what subscriptions his Department has for premium satellite television channels; and what the cost of each such subscription was in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change does not subscribe to any premium satellite television channels.

Security

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many departmental identity cards or passes have been reported lost or stolen by staff in his Department since May 2010.

Gregory Barker: Since May 2010 there have been 100 staff passes that have been lost or stolen.

Standards

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the reasons are for the time taken to publish his Department's Quarterly Data Summary for the second quarter of 2012-13 and the third quarter of 2012-13.

Gregory Barker: The quarter 2 and quarter 3 Quarterly Data Summary (QDS) returns of all 17 Departments participating in the QDS process were delayed owing to the development of the Cabinet Office's Government Interrogating Spending Tool (GIST).
	The GIST was developed in response to recommendations made in Dr Martin Read's independent report entitled ‘Practical Steps to Improve Management Information in Government'.
	The GIST is an online tool that allows the public to access a breakdown of government expenditure through the GOV.UK website. It makes the process of accessing and analysing complex QDS and OSCAR data easier and quicker, and for these reasons was seen to justify a short delay in publishing QDS data.

Television

Michael Dugher: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change how many flat screen televisions have been purchased by his Department in the last 24 months; and what the cost to the public purse was of such purchases.

Gregory Barker: The Department of Energy and Climate Change has not purchased any flat-screen televisions in the last 24 months.